CPM leader PK Kunjananthan, a convict in the murder case of Communist rebel TP Chandrasekharan died on Thursday night. He was undergoing treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College following an infection in his abdomen. He was 73.
Paying tribute to the cold-blooded criminal, Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan, in a Facebook post, hailed Kunjananthan as “a comrade who had selflessly loved the party and exhibited concern towards society. As a social worker, he had won the acceptance and love of all sections of people in Panur”. The Chief Minister had visited him at the hospital on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister’s bizarre reaction sparked outrage and prompted several people to take to social media and ‘celebrate’ the death of Kunjananthan, who was considered to be one of the most condemned and hated CPM leaders after the murder of TP Chandrasekharan.
The murder of TP Chandrasekharan is one of the most horrifying political killing CPM has ever executed. In 2012, TP Chandrasekharan, a former CPM leader was brutally killed after he left the party formed another political party, RMP. CPM goons hacked him to death, inflicting 51 stab injuries on his body.
Kunjananthan, a close associate of the Chief Minister Vijayan, was found to be the kingpin in the murder case. He, along with 11 others, was found guilty in the murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014. Despite criticisms from all corners, the CPM-led LDF Government granted him parole several times.
Meanwhile, the CPM gave a hero’s farewell to Kunjananthan, violating the Covid-19 lockdown guidelines. About 100 people attended the last rites without following the social distancing and other norms. CPM top leaders visited the hospital and shouted slogans like ‘martyr who will never die’. CPM also observed a hartal to pay respects for Kunjananthan in his birthplace in Kannur.
