CPI-M councillor held for attacking BJP headquarters

Kerala Police on Friday arrested CPI-M councillor I.P. Binu and three others for attacking the state BJP headquarters here.

Binu, before he was taken into custody, was suspended by the Communist Party of India-Marxist for the Thursday night attack.

CCTV visuals show Binu arriving at the Bharatiya Janata Party office around 1.20 a.m. with a baseball bat on a two-wheeler.

Soon after, some of his accomplices turned up, entered the office compound and smashed the window panes of six vehicles including that of state BJP President Kummanem Rajasekheran.

The visuals show a police jeep parked near the office. Barring a policeman who tried to dissuade Binu, three other police officials watched without trying to save their colleague who was kicked by CPI-M workers.

 

The group then stoned the building.

Hours later, suspected BJP workers stoned the residence of CPI-M state General Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son Bineesh Kodiyeri, an actor-cum-businessman.

BJP General Secretary M.T. Ramesh told reporters that the attack was planned by the CPI-M leadership and the police was a party to this conspiracy.

"This is the second time Rajasekheran's life is under threat from the CPI-M. A police team was posted here and the visuals show it was a policeman who opened the gate of our compound to let these CPI-M goons inside. This attack was pre-planned," said Ramesh.

"There is a limit to the tolerance level. Now it has crossed all acceptable levels. The CPI-M should seriously introspect. Today the situation is such that their criminal activities centred in and around Kannur district have shifted to the state capital," he added.

Addressing reporters after a meeting of the CPI-M Secretariat, Balakrishnan said the attack unleashed by the BJP and RSS on his son's house was "done knowing, very well, that I would be there.

"Of late, after a few scams of the BJP surfaced, they are out to divert attention as their image has taken a severe beating. The BJP/RSS combine has always been out to create trouble and our workers have come under severe duress.

"Binu's house came under attack from the BJP/RSS cadres and even his family had to face the brunt. He was deeply upset because of this but what he did in retaliation is not acceptable too... Appropriate action will be taken by the party," he said.

"They (BJP/RSS) are out to create trouble so as to give an impression that peace has disappeared in Kerala. We have appealed to our cadres to remain calm and not to retaliate in the manner in which the BJP/RSS do," said the CPI-M leader.

Due to the tense situation here, the police have banned protest meetings in the city.

There have been sporadic clashes between the two groups in the past two weeks.

The violence began when the student wings of CPI-M and BJP clashed in two colleges here earlier.

On Thursday, there were skirmishes between BJP and CPI-M workers at a few places in the city and its suburbs.

The police have strengthened security around both party offices as well as across the city.

--IANS

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