Cult of violence: Will it take Kerala off CPM’s grip?
Chandrasekharan’s murder has created a state-wide outrage against the CPM and its alleged practice of “annihilation” of political opponents. Nobody was ready to absolve the party of any involvement although it swore its innocence... In Kerala’s popular culture, Kannur has been synonymous with political violence for a few years and now, it is synonymous with not only violence but also the dominant faction of the CPM apparatus in the state. Majority of the party’s state secretariat, including the powerful Vijayan, is from the district. It is an image that the CPM will find very hard to erase.
...this time, the victim is a hugely popular CPM-dissident TP Chandrasekharan who has successfully built a Marxist democratic alternative to the party. His Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) has been able to dent the CPM’s electoral chances at the Parliament & local elections & has been coordinating the state-wide movement of the CPM-rebels. A number of Marxist intellectuals and cadres have gravitated towards Chandrasekharan and the Left Coordination Committee that he was part of. Of late, the erosion of intellectuals and cadres from the CPM has gained certain critical strength.
If Shukkoor mostly remained a local story of CPM’s allegedly murderous politics, Chandrasekharans murder has exposed the entire state to the vicious violence that the party has perfected in the northern district of Kannur before exporting to the nearby districts including Kozhikkode. The gang that killed Chandrasekharan apparently came from Kannur and the murder had all the hallmarks of a Kannur style operation. Initial reports also indicated that the brains behind the murder wanted to create the fait accompli for an attack committed by a radical Islamist organisation. Interestingly, in the murder of Fazal, the party had tried to implicate the RSS.
In both the cases, besides misleading the investigation, the machinations could also have led to communal violence. Unlike the other instances of political violence, Chandrasekharan’s murder was a tipping point: it has created a state-wide outrage against the CPM and its alleged practice of “annihilation” of political opponents. Nobody was ready to absolve the party of any involvement although it swore its innocence. The most worrying aspect of the murder was the recent trend in which the CPM allegedly entrusts operations of political violence with criminal groups called “quotation gangs”. Although about 200 people lost their lives in a decade since the late 1990s in Kannur, these murders resulted from violence by party cadres, not just the CPM, but others as well.
According to the police, the murder of Chandrasekharan was a result of extensive planning. The prime accused in the case was allegedly close the CPM leaders and the conspiracy was hatched at the wedding of the daughter of another party hireling who came out on parol of the Kannur central jail, which has allegedly become the den of a number of CPM-prisoners, most of whom are either on remand or spending jail terms for criminal activities including murders.
Local media highlighted the case-histories of two such prisoners, who have been patronised and protected by the party for murders. The authorities are too scared to handle the criminal gangs, who run their writ in the jail. The CPM gangs had apparently occupied a block of the jail and even ran an exclusive kitchen and gym. Interesting transformation in the jail life of CPM cadres. Olden days, they will ask for books. These days, they want sumptuous food and facilities for body-building. The ADGP in charge of prison in the state recently ordered their closure... The free run of the criminals of the Kannur central jail was also laid bare when raids unearthed a large number of mobile phones and chargers. However, nothing has come of the subsequent investigations although there were charges that hundreds of calls were made from the jail to the CPM leaders.
The state government, although ruled by the Congress-led coalition, hasn’t made any sincere effort to cleanse the Kannur prison, which has in fact become a centre for planning organised crime. In fact, the prison has become a threat to public safety with dreaded criminals get together to plan their strikes and come out on parol on demand. Some of the criminals who were involved in the planning and execution of the murder of Chandrasekharan came out on parol from the Kannur prison...
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/cpm-and-the-cult-of-violence-308525.html
See also:
Marxist-rebel murdered in Kerala: finger of suspicion troubles CPM
Will Achuthanandan-Vijayan feud split Kerala CPM?
Top CPM leadership helpless as Kerala CPM heads for potential split
The man facing the heat over the murder is the powerful state secretary of the CPM, Pinarayi Vijayan. "As party chief and as the one who controls the powerful Kannur lobby (district from where a big chunk of the top CPM leadership in the state hails from), he is answerable both to the people and cadres about the brutal murder of Chandrasekharan," says a CPM leader based in Kochi. The investigators haven't yet found CPM responsible for the brutal killing of Chandrasekharan who received 50 stab wounds on his face and torso. Though the CPM has been on the defensive, saying the party has been wrongly accused of the crime, state home ministry officials indicate that the probe team has arrested a few people owing allegiance to the party.
A Thiruvananthapuram-based government official, who asked not to be named, said an investigation has established "the roles" of at least a few "local-level" CPM leaders in the killing. The official suggests that names of more senior CPM leaders may surface soon. Which means pressure is going to build on Vijayan "to quit as party chief owning moral responsibility for the killing of a peace-loving leader of the masses", notes another CPM leader from Kozhikode who also didn't wish to be named. Onchiyam falls under the Kozhikode district. Much to Vijayan's anguish, the defiance against his so-called "dictatorial tendencies and violent ways" is being led by the most popular CPM leader in the state, his arch-rival and former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan, who, a day after Chandrasekharan's death, called the slain rebel a "brave comrade". When Vijayan was asked about Achuthanandan's comment, he simply replied, "I do not want to go into his past".
...this time, the victim is a hugely popular CPM-dissident TP Chandrasekharan who has successfully built a Marxist democratic alternative to the party. His Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) has been able to dent the CPM’s electoral chances at the Parliament & local elections & has been coordinating the state-wide movement of the CPM-rebels. A number of Marxist intellectuals and cadres have gravitated towards Chandrasekharan and the Left Coordination Committee that he was part of. Of late, the erosion of intellectuals and cadres from the CPM has gained certain critical strength.
If Shukkoor mostly remained a local story of CPM’s allegedly murderous politics, Chandrasekharans murder has exposed the entire state to the vicious violence that the party has perfected in the northern district of Kannur before exporting to the nearby districts including Kozhikkode. The gang that killed Chandrasekharan apparently came from Kannur and the murder had all the hallmarks of a Kannur style operation. Initial reports also indicated that the brains behind the murder wanted to create the fait accompli for an attack committed by a radical Islamist organisation. Interestingly, in the murder of Fazal, the party had tried to implicate the RSS.
In both the cases, besides misleading the investigation, the machinations could also have led to communal violence. Unlike the other instances of political violence, Chandrasekharan’s murder was a tipping point: it has created a state-wide outrage against the CPM and its alleged practice of “annihilation” of political opponents. Nobody was ready to absolve the party of any involvement although it swore its innocence. The most worrying aspect of the murder was the recent trend in which the CPM allegedly entrusts operations of political violence with criminal groups called “quotation gangs”. Although about 200 people lost their lives in a decade since the late 1990s in Kannur, these murders resulted from violence by party cadres, not just the CPM, but others as well.
According to the police, the murder of Chandrasekharan was a result of extensive planning. The prime accused in the case was allegedly close the CPM leaders and the conspiracy was hatched at the wedding of the daughter of another party hireling who came out on parol of the Kannur central jail, which has allegedly become the den of a number of CPM-prisoners, most of whom are either on remand or spending jail terms for criminal activities including murders.
Local media highlighted the case-histories of two such prisoners, who have been patronised and protected by the party for murders. The authorities are too scared to handle the criminal gangs, who run their writ in the jail. The CPM gangs had apparently occupied a block of the jail and even ran an exclusive kitchen and gym. Interesting transformation in the jail life of CPM cadres. Olden days, they will ask for books. These days, they want sumptuous food and facilities for body-building. The ADGP in charge of prison in the state recently ordered their closure... The free run of the criminals of the Kannur central jail was also laid bare when raids unearthed a large number of mobile phones and chargers. However, nothing has come of the subsequent investigations although there were charges that hundreds of calls were made from the jail to the CPM leaders.
The state government, although ruled by the Congress-led coalition, hasn’t made any sincere effort to cleanse the Kannur prison, which has in fact become a centre for planning organised crime. In fact, the prison has become a threat to public safety with dreaded criminals get together to plan their strikes and come out on parol on demand. Some of the criminals who were involved in the planning and execution of the murder of Chandrasekharan came out on parol from the Kannur prison...
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/cpm-and-the-cult-of-violence-308525.html
See also:
Marxist-rebel murdered in Kerala: finger of suspicion troubles CPM
Will Achuthanandan-Vijayan feud split Kerala CPM?
Top CPM leadership helpless as Kerala CPM heads for potential split
The man facing the heat over the murder is the powerful state secretary of the CPM, Pinarayi Vijayan. "As party chief and as the one who controls the powerful Kannur lobby (district from where a big chunk of the top CPM leadership in the state hails from), he is answerable both to the people and cadres about the brutal murder of Chandrasekharan," says a CPM leader based in Kochi. The investigators haven't yet found CPM responsible for the brutal killing of Chandrasekharan who received 50 stab wounds on his face and torso. Though the CPM has been on the defensive, saying the party has been wrongly accused of the crime, state home ministry officials indicate that the probe team has arrested a few people owing allegiance to the party.
A Thiruvananthapuram-based government official, who asked not to be named, said an investigation has established "the roles" of at least a few "local-level" CPM leaders in the killing. The official suggests that names of more senior CPM leaders may surface soon. Which means pressure is going to build on Vijayan "to quit as party chief owning moral responsibility for the killing of a peace-loving leader of the masses", notes another CPM leader from Kozhikode who also didn't wish to be named. Onchiyam falls under the Kozhikode district. Much to Vijayan's anguish, the defiance against his so-called "dictatorial tendencies and violent ways" is being led by the most popular CPM leader in the state, his arch-rival and former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan, who, a day after Chandrasekharan's death, called the slain rebel a "brave comrade". When Vijayan was asked about Achuthanandan's comment, he simply replied, "I do not want to go into his past".
