Kottayam: The dirty Marxist student politics of Kerala had a strange martyr on October 26. An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Changanassery police station near Kottayam, M.C. Elias (47) was killed by SFI/DYFI/CITU goondas at the NSS Hindu College in Changanassery. Elias died at the NSS Medical Mission Hospital at about 10.30 am after he was surrounded and attacked by the Marxist mob.
The atmosphere in the College had been tense since the days of election to the College Council about a week ago when SFI activists with the support of CITU and DYFI workers were on a rampage against other student outfits. The ASI Elias, who had been isolated from the other police personnel, was trapped amidst a group of SFI students and it was then he was attacked. This is for the first time a law enforcer has been killed in student violence in the State. Elias is survived by his wife Suja and three children?Akhil, Sneha and Sherin. Police, college staff and local residents said that outside elements belonging to CPM had entered the College campus during the trouble.
In all the educational institutions in Kerala where SFI is having strength no other student organisation is allowed to function. Whenever CPM comes to power, it takes its ugly turn with unleashing violence against other organisations with the connivance of State police. In all the political clashes in Kerala, the CPM is on one side and the rest on the other.
Instead of booking the real culprits, under specific directions from the State Home Minister and Marxist leader from Kannur Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Police took into custody several workers of ABVP/RSS/BMS/BJP and unleashed cruel methods of torture on them. Strangely, within 15 minutes of the killing, the Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Director General of Police Raman Srivastava said that RSS-BJP workers were behind the killing. They conducted raids on several offices of the RSS/ABVP/BMS in the district and arrested many workers including district Karyavah of RSS and BMS district secretary Thulasidharan.
SFI leaders who were arrested by the Police immediately after the murder from the place of assault scene were released as instructed by the Home Minister and Kerala DGP. Sources in the police indicated that there was no urgency or need for the Minister to have made such an irresponsible statement on the identity of the culprits. Even the State DGP Raman Srivastava has been reduced to parroting the Home Minister'sline rather than having an independent stand of his own.
The BJP'scall for a strike in Kottayam district on October 28, evoked tremendous response. All shops and establishments remained closed and no government office or educational institution functioned.
BJP alleged that the police were victimising the RSS-BJP workers to save SFI-CPI(M) troublemakers. BJP state president P.K. Krishnadas said the raids on the RSS-BMS offices were ridiculous. The party and ABVP, demanded a thorough probe into the incident by a Central agency.
The arrested workers of RSS/BJP/ABVP/BMS were brutally tortured by the police as per the order allegedly given by CPM sympathiser DYSP Vijayan. Police sources under conditions of anonymity confirmed that the torture continued for long and was stopped only when their condition became worst. Biju was tortured very badly due to wrong information given by CPM local secretary to DYSP Vijayan that Biju is an ?RSS Mandal Karyavah?. Sources in the police department confirmed that the brutal torture was carried out on Hindu activists by constables who are active members of CPM belonging to the Kerala Armed Police 5 battalion.
Hindu organisations and relatives of the innocent victims are consulting legal experts to take strong legal action against the pro-CPM police constables and the DYSP. Hindu organisations also decided to launch massive agitations, protest marches and awareness programmes across Kerala against the brutal torture of the innocent activists.
Lamenting that the CPM controlled LDF Government was victimising the Sangh activists for a crime committed by Marxists and their student activists, BJP state president Krishnadas said an enquiry by the police controlled by Kodiyeri could not be impartial. Justice could never be expected from an enquiry by the State police headed by DGP Srivastava, who was speaking like the mouthpiece of the CPM. ?The DGP seems to have taken over the job of the CPI(M) state secretary,? Shri Krishnadas said. Saying that there was a conspiracy to make BJP activists culprit, he said nothing less than a probe by a Central agency could bring out the truth. He said the CPM was physically enabling the SFI workers to perpetrate violence and even to kill law enforcers. ?What happened in Changanassery was an example to this. The ABVP was holding a strike and the SFI attacked them without provocation,? he said.
ABVP state president V.P. Rajeev said SFI and the DYFI activists were responsible for the incident in the College. He too demanded probe by a Central agency. Opposition leader Oommen Chandy said the reason for incidents like the one in Changanssery was the violence perpetrated by SFI with the help of the police.
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan'ssuspected role
It may be recalled that when CPM assumed power in the State, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a leader known for his criminal antecedents, was specifically made the Home Minister with a view to suppress any opposition to the party from any corner. Political observers still link Balakrishnan to this history and background.
Independent observers are of the view that the claim by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, DGP Raman Srivastava and CPM leaders that the killers of police ASI Elias were RSS-BJP men is concocted to save the real culprits, the SFI leaders. Police sources indicated that the claim could be unfounded as there were no clues to prove this. There is suspicion that the claim is part of a strategy to save the actual culprits as had happened in the murder of NDF activist Faizal in Thalassery in Kannur district in which BJP men were accused first and CPM activists were arrested later.
State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has found it expedient to act and behave like a third-rate politician rather than a Home Minister and this is seen in his recent reactions on issues including the sudden shunting of the DGP(Jail) MGA Raman and other issues in which CPI(M) workers clashed with members of other political parties.
Kodiyeri, who was in the forefront to unleash a campaign against the RSS and the BJP in the killing of the NDF worker in Thalassery, had to finally eat a humble pie when police arrested three CPIM local workers for the killing which took place early in the morning of October 22, 2006. This resulted in protest marches and poster wars against the Minister in his home town and much to the bewilderment of the beleagured Minister in his own village of Kodiyeri. As there were clashes between the NDF and the RSS in some parts of Kannur district the Home Minister immediately came out with the statement that it was the RSS workers who had assassinated Faizal.
Ever since this issue Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is seen as defending the CPM local workers and even known party goons at every available opportunity and political observers are of the opinion that the Minister wanted to show his attachment to the party cadre in the run up to attaining the top post in the party and then in the Government. It is no secret that the wily politician is aiming for the Chief Ministership upsetting even Pinarayi Vijayan'sapple cart.
Educational Institutions, breeding ground of Marxist terror
In all the educational institutions of Kerala, frequent clashes between SFI and other student organisations is a norm thanks to the intolerant attitude of the Marxists. The prime reason for the affinity of the educational institutions to violence is the influence of elements from outside on the campus politics; especially CPM/DYFI/CITU, says police, teachers and educationists.
Many college principals admit that the incursion by armed troublemakers into the Colleges is a reality in times of strife. Teachers say that there is nothing the College authorities can do when such things happen. Police officials point out that they can do nothing since they get orders from their political bosses to side with the SFI.
Though clashes between SFI activists and other student organisations in Kerala are no news, bloodletting in such clashes had been rare in the central Travancore region after the gruesome killing of three students belonging to ABVP in the NSS Pamba College in Parumala on September 17, 1996.
Even before the Parumala killings, the NSS Hindu College, Changanassery had earned its place in murderous student politics with the killing of ABVP activist Bimbi at a commercial complex near the College about two years ago.
BJP to launch massive stir against unleashing of terror on Hindu organisations
In order to protest the unleashing of terror on BJP/RSS/ABVP/BMS workers by the CPM and the LDF Government, the BJP state unit has decided to launch a massive campaign to take the issue to the people. As part of the campaign, the party observed October 28 as Protest Day and the party workers marched to the office of the Superintendent of Police in Kottayam on October 29.
On November 8, the day of Deepavali, tens of thousands of party activists took out a march towards the Raj Bhavan, and at its conclusion submited a memorandum to Governor R.L. Bhatia on the Changanassery incident and the Government'sresponse to it.
Reiterating the party'sdemand for a thorough probe into the incident by a Central agency, Shri Krishnadas said the CPM was trying to play the bloody political games of Thalassery in Changanassery. He said the murder of the police officer was the result of a conspiracy by the CPM and the police to create an opportunity to strike against the BJP. He demanded resignation of Home Minister Kodyeri Balakrishnan and the removal of DGP Raman Srivastava.
He challenged the Government and the CPM to examine the telephone records of Kodiyeri, Srivastava and state CPM secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.?Such a probe can prove the conspiracy behind the murder of the police officer. That Kodiyeri, Srivastava, Vijayan and SFI leaders had announced that RSS-BJP men were behind the killing immediately after the incident was sufficient proof of the conspiracy,? he said.
He warned, ?We have all the proofs. We have the videos of the entire incident. We are going to show all this to the people. We are not going to leave this issue as it is,? he said. ?This time the game of the CPM and the LDF Government is against the BJP. Tomorrow it could be against some other organisations. This cannot be allowed in a democratic setup,? he added. He termed the police claim that one of the arrested Biju was the district Karyavah of RSS, a lie. ?The police officer, who identified this person as RSS Karyavah, does not even know what that position is. The young man had returned to Kerala only a week ago, and he had gone to the college for some matter pertaining to his sister'sstudies. He was picked up by the police just like that,? he said.
Evidence to prove innocence of Hindu workers
