Violent attacks by the RSS in Kerala have taken a new turn as widespread attacks directed against the houses of CPI(M) leaders have been reported from Thiruvananthapuram.
The residence where CPI(M) Kerala State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan lives is among the houses that have been attacked by alleged RSS workers on Thursday night and Friday morning.
The houses of Karamana Hari and S Pushpalatha, both CPI(M) Thiruvananthapuram District Committee members, and the house of Kattakkada Sasi, the State Secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), were also attacked and vehicles destroyed. A country bomb was reportedly hurled at the State Committee office of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), but did not explode.
The house where Kodiyeri Balakrishnan lives in Thiruvananthapuram came under attack at around 3 o’clock on Friday morning. The glass windows of the house, belonging to Balakrishnan’s son, and the glasses of the car parked in front of the house were broken.
Six RSS activists including Yuva Morcha state leader Nishanth have been arrested following the attacks, and weapons seized from the RSS shakha from which the RSS workers were arrested. Video footage of the police taking out seized weapons from the RSS office is being circulated on the social media by activists.
Several incidents of violence by alleged RSS-BJP activists were reported in the capital district in the last three days.
The episode reached a crescendo on Thursday night with the attack on the house of Kattakkada Sasi. A gang of three people came in a motorcycle and threw stones at the house, and left when those in the house switched on the lights and came out.
CPI(M) Chalai Area Secretary SA Sundar’s house at Yamuna Nagar, Manacaud, came under attack by 9.30 on Thursday night. The attack was reportedly carried out by a gang of thirty people who arrived in bikes with lethal weapons. They damaged the gate to enter the premises, destroyed the car and scooter, and then tried to break open the front door of the house using iron rods. The attackers left as women in the house screamed and neighbours rushed in to help.
The attack on Sundar’s house came after the attack on DYFI Chalai Block President R Unni’s house near the famous Attukal Temple. The gang of alleged RSS workers entered Unni’s house, smashed the TV and other household appliances and damaged the mini lorry and motorcycle parked in front of the house. Sundar rushed to Unni’s house as the news of the attack reached him, and meanwhile another gang attacked Sundar’s house.
The house of Municipal Councillors Rasiya Begum was attacked around the same time. The glasses of the windows were destroyed and the motorcycle damaged.
The house of Municipal Councillor IP Binu came under attack two times on Thursday night. What transpired following the second attack has provoked left activists to allege direct links between the attacks and the BJP’s Kerala state leadership.
As Binu and others who were inside got out of the house following the stone pelting at about 1 am, the assailants tried to escape in a motorcycle. Binu and friends who lived nearby followed the attackers in motorcycles, and saw the attackers going into the BJP State Committee office. It has been alleged that the policemen present at the location refused to nab those who went into the office.
The alleged RSS attacks have come at a time when the Parliament is supposed to discuss the issue of mob lynching the coming Monday as sought by the Left.
In his speech in the Lok Sabha, BJP leader Anant Kumar had opposed the discussion on mob lynching, and said that the law and order situation in Kerala should also be discussed. The attacks by alleged RSS workers in Thiruvananthapuram began the same evening.
CPI(M) Kerala Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said in a statement posted on Facebook that a conspiracy involving the Kerala State leadership of the RSS-BJP is behind the attacks. He appealed to Left supporters to guard against the provocations of the RSS-BJP. “The Sangh Parivar’s game plan of letting loose RSS-BJP criminals to unleash violence will be resisted by rallying the masses”, he said.
Several cases of corruption involving top leaders of the RSS-BJP in Kerala have come to light in the recent weeks. Most notable among these has been the ‘Medical College scam’ where BJP Kerala General Secretary MT Ramesh’s name was reportedly mentioned in a report by the BJP’s internal enquiry committee. The BJP has come under severe criticism following the revelations. The scams have been widely discussed in the media and have become subjects of popular memes.
The CPI (M) leadership considers the latest attacks in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the RSS-BJP’s attempt to divert attention from the corruption allegations against BJP leaders.
In the light of continuing attacks, security for the CPI (M) offices in the State has been beefed up. The Inspector General of Police (Thiruvananthapuram Range) has directed security to be strengthened for the AKG Centre (the CPI(M) State Committee office) and other major offices.