CPI(M) is preparing to hold a political explanatory meeting tomorrow in Mattanur, Kannur district, on the brutal leg amputation of Rajya Sabha member C. Sadanandan Master, a move that underscores how his entry into Parliament continues to haunt the party.
The upcoming meeting, widely viewed as an attempt to rewrite history, will feature a controversial poster displaying the faces of CPI(M) cadres convicted in the assassination attempt on Sadanandan Master, raising the question: will the party openly challenge the guilt of men convicted by the Supreme Court? The event is set to be inaugurated by CPI(M) state secretariat member MV Jayarajan, a key figure in Kannur’s bloody history of political violence.
This meeting comes amid growing resentment among CPI(M) cadres in Kannur over the leadership’s grip on power, which is seen as serving the interests of their own family members and relatives. Far from distancing itself from the violence, the leadership appears poised to double down, presenting the convicted attackers as martyrs. CPI(M)’s cyber squads and sympathetic media outlets are already running smear campaigns against MP Sadanandan Master.
The political theatre revolves around a night of unimaginable brutality that took place on January 25, 1994 when a group of CPI(M) goons, armed with deadly weapons, attacked Sadanandan Master, then RSS Jilla sahkaryvah, chopping off both his legs in an attempt to kill him.
Just last week, the dark episode returned to the spotlight when a farewell ceremony for the convicted assailants was held at the CPI(M) Pazhassi South Local Committee office in Kannur district. Footage released by the media showed party workers shouting slogans in support of the men as they prepared to surrender before the court. Among the attendees was senior CPI(M) leader and former Health Minister KK Shailaja, her presence sparked widespread outrage across Kerala, as the ruling party openly celebrated those found guilty of attempted murder, 30 years after the crime.
The trial court had earlier convicted eight CPI(M) cadres, sentencing them to seven years in prison. They had remained free for decades, appealing to higher courts to overturn their punishment. Their final legal lifeline snapped when the Supreme Court rejected their appeal. On Monday, the convicted men surrendered before court after being publicly feted in Pazhassi. They were later transferred to Kannur Central Jail. The images of the farewell ceremony have reinforced the perception that CPI(M) is not only unrepentant about its violent past, but actively valorising it.
As if the public send-off was not enough, P. Jayarajan, a name synonymous with CPI(M)’s violent politics in Kannur district, visited the convicts inside jail on Saturday. As a member of the Kannur Central Jail Advisory Committee, Jayarajan had an easy access to the inmates. Emerging from the visit, he proudly declared that he had conveyed best wishes to the convicted cadres, ensured medical treatment for those unwell, and promised to meet their families. His actions sent a clear message that the party stands firmly behind all acts of violence, even in the face of mounting public resentment.
The planned political explanatory meeting is set to strip away CPI(M)’s carefully cultivated image as a party of discipline and ideological commitment, exposing instead a leadership that shields and glorifies political violence. In Kannur, long the epicentre of bloody CPI(M) violence, this event signals that the party is not retreating from its militant legacy but entrenching it further.
For the victims of political terror, like Sadanandan Master, the message is chilling, that justice no matter how delayed, will be mocked by those in power. And for Kerala’s political landscape, it will be another reminder that in Kannur, CPI(M) politics thrives on blurring the line between party loyalty and criminal violence.
