Party and Power: On Political Violence in Kerala

The ruling CPI(M) finds itself embroiled in two murder cases in Kerala. In one, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Chargesheet filed against 24 peopleFormer CPI(M) MLA KV Kunhirman, who is also a member of the district secretariat, is involved in the Periya double murder case. Congress workers Kripesh, 19 and Sarath Lal PK, 24, were murdered in Periya in Kasaragod district on February 17, 2019. After getting an inquiry by the Kerala High Court, the case was handed over to the CBI on September 30, 2019. as ‘not credible’ by the state police. In an unforgivable move, the Kerala government fought fiercely against the CBI probe till the Supreme Court, yet failed even after spending huge public money. In another, the party’s local committee secretary Sandeep Kumar was murdered last week in Pathanamthitta district by a gang of five led by a neighbour, who is affiliated with the BJP youth wing. The local police, which initially denied political rivalry, changed the script after being publicly scolded by the CPI(M) state secretary. In both cases, the ruling party allegedly attempted to influence the investigation by the state police – first to protect its workers, and secondly to add a political color to the horrific murder of its worker, who escaped. May or may not. ,

The CPI(M) has a dual responsibility – as a cadre party which exercises extreme control over its workers, and as the ruling party which is responsible for law and order. The party claims authority over the conduct of its cadres, including in their personal lives, in many respects. The party should make it clear that it will not tolerate violence by its members; It should also allow the police to act independently and professionally. But the trend seems to be the opposite. Even convicted criminals affiliated to the party have got the support of the state to serve their jail term. Mr. Kunhiraman and three others have been charged by the CBI under the section of obstruction of lawful arrest of accused persons. According to the CBI, he forcibly released some of the accused detained by the state police in the Periya case. The party’s district unit has questioned the findings of the CBI in the case and termed it as politically motivated. This is a typical argument. The CBI probe originated from a judicial process that went through three phases. Despite the merits of the CPI(M)’s claim of being a victim of violence by political opponents, it is the duty of the state government to protect the life and liberty of citizens, and ensure speedy justice through due process in incidents. Violence, whether it has political motives or not.