Strike in Kerala over RSS man’s murder

trivandrum — A dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activist was killed derailed normal life across Kerala on Sunday even as police arrested eight persons allegedly linked to the ruling CPM for the killing.

After being summoned by Governor P. Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised action would be taken against law-breakers irrespective of their status and political affiliation. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also told him to curb political violence.

The BJP called the shutdown after E. Rajesh, 34, a member of the RSS, was hacked to death here on Saturday night. He died a few hours later.

I have expressed my concern about the law and order situation in the state. Political violence is unacceptable in a democracy. I expect the political violence in Kerala is curbed and the perpetrators are brought to justice expeditiously.

All shops and markets across the state were shut and all public vehicles went off the roads, residents and officials said. The few private vehicles which plied faced angry BJP and RSS activists.

Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra told reporters that all but one of those involved in the crime has been arrested. “Their questioning

Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister

has started. Preliminary indications are that there was political and also personal rivalry,” he said.

In another unprecedented development, the governor, a former chief justice, summoned Vijayan and Behra to know the law and order situation in the state.

In the last two weeks, there was an attack on the state BJP headquarters and the residence of the son of CPM state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan before Rajesh was murdered.

Sathasivam quoted Vijayan as saying he would meet both state BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan and the state RSS chief and make a public appeal for peace.

Earlier, Sathasivam spoke on the phone with Rajnath Singh, who in turn asked Vijayan to curb political violence in the state. The governor also spoke to BJP’s Rajasekharan and CPM’s Balakrishnan.

A funeral that was to take place on Sunday was postponed for Monday as many people could not make it, said K. Thomas of Puthupally in Kottayam district. —