RSS Sarkaryawah Sri Mohanrao Bhagwat ji’s Statement on Kannur

Statement issued by the Sarkaryavah – Sri Mohanrao Bhagwat on the violence in Kannur

Five RSS activists have been killed and scores grievously injured in
renewed attacks by the CPM cadres since 5 March 2008 in the North
Kerala district of Kannur. Houses of more than 40 Swayamsevaks have
been destroyed in this violence.

It is claimed that the
Communist Party of Kerala was formed in Pinarayi in Kannur district and
the Party considers this district as its bastion. The RSS work was
started in 1943 in this district and continued peacefully for more than
25 years. Many CPM workers were attracted to the RSS work and joined in
large numbers. However, unable to tolerate its growing strength the CPM
resorted to murder politics since 1969. Sri Ramakrishnan, a daily wage
earner and the Mukhyashikshak of Thalassery (Vadikkal) who faced the
Communist terrorism courageously and started several Shakas in and
around Thalassery, became their first victim and was brutally killed in
1969. Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, present State Secretary of CPM who hails
from this district, was one of the main accused in that murder case.
The present Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who also hails from
this district, was an accused in the murder of another Swayamsevak Sri
Karimbil Satheesan.

So far more than 60 Swayamsevaks have been
killed by the CPM in this district alone. Even aged women were also not
spared. On May 22, 2002 Smt. Ammu Amma (72 years) was killed in a bomb
attack by CPI (M) workers while she was returning in a jeep after
attending the funeral of a Swayamsevak Sri Uthaman, who was killed in
the CPI (M) attack the previous day.

Peace Efforts

The
RSS had all alongwelcomed and supported all peace efforts. In order to
avoid further violence, the founder of the BMS, Sri Dattopant Thengidi
and Sri P. Parameswaran, the the Director of Deendayal Research
Institute, Delhi had discussions with Communist stalwarts like EMS
Namboodripad and Ramamurthy in Delhi. The leaders of the RSS and the
CPM had similar discussions in Kerala too. But before the ink on the
peace declaration dried up, there were unprovoked attacks on RSS
cadres. Committed to maintaining peace the RSS had agreed to sit with
the CPM leaders again and sign a document for peace in 1999 at the
initiative of the highly respected Js. Krishna Iyer and the then Chief
Minister E.K. Nayanar. However, just two days after this initiative the
CPM cadres attacked the State Vice President of BJYM Sri Jayakrishnan
Master and murdered him in a most gruesome manner in front of small
children in his class room. Peace conferences became totally
ineffective with no positive result whatsoever.

But for several
years, despite serious provocation the RSS stuck to its commitment of
maintaining peace and never retaliated. However it resulted in loosing
a number of good activists only while the CPM became more brutal.
Whenever they are in power in the State their brutality crosses all
limits with the help of obliging Government machinery.

The
latest killing spree that started in March claimed the lives of 5
Swayamsevaks so far. On March 5 (Sivarathri day) Sri Sumesh, Thalassery
Taluk Sharirik Shikshan Pramukh was attacked near Thalassery town. He
lost his left hand and is still in Intensive Care Unit. Sri Sumesh
always used to represent Sangh in the peace conferences. On the same
day a Swayamsevak Nikhil (22), a lorry driver and the sole bread winner
of a poor family was killed. Another Swayamsevak, Sri Sathyan, a mason,
was virtually dragged away from his work place and beheaded. His
headless body was thrown by the wayside near his house. On the very
next day i.e. on March 6, 2008 Sri Mahesh of Kuthuparamba was hacked to
death. His head was also severed off. Again on the next day i.e, March
7, 2008 Sri Suresh Babu of Kodiyeri and Sri K.V.Surendran (65) of
Illathuthazha were brutally assassinated. Thus within 3 days 5 young
lives belonging to the working class were taken away. More than a dozen
youths have been maimed and become handicapped.

Honest Officers not tolerated

Honest
Police officers were never tolerated. On Jan 12, 2008, one CPM worker
Sri Dhanesh was killed by some unknown miscreants. The CPM accused the
RSS, but the DySP in charge of the investigation Sri Habeeb Rahman
categorically stated that RSS was not at all involved in this murder.
Immediately afterwards that upright officer was transferred from the
district. On Jan 26, 2008, one notorious criminal Jijesh was killed.
His nickname ‘Veerappan’ itself reveals his nature. Again CPM blamed
Sangh. In both the cases the RSS district leadership had promptly
rebutted the charges in press conferences. DSP Sri Manoj Abraham after
investigation stated that NDF (a Muslim extremist organization) was
involved in it and RSS was innocent. Again that no-nonsense officer was
also transferred summarily.

Shakha Ban in Kannur

There
is a virtual ban on Sangh shakhas by the CPM in the areas of their
dominance in Kannur. The basic right to conduct organization work is
being denied not only to the RSS but to all other political parties
including Congress and CPI. Examples are so many.
The shakha at
Engayilpeedika at Kodiyeri, the home-town of State Home Minister
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, was attacked and disallowed to function by
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s nephew and his henchmen 8 years ago. Since then
repeated attempts to restart the shakha there have been foiled by the
CPM cadres. The CPM is also enforcing a code- a kind of Section 144 –
applicable to swayamsevaks in that village. If they want to live there
they should not meet or even sit together. They should walk around or
travel alone. They should not be seen in public when the home minister
visits the area. The fate of the shakha at Kodiyeri is not an isolated
one. There are up to 50 places in Kannur where the Sangh is not allowed
to hold shakhas. Any attempt to ‘violate’ this ban would be met with
brutal force.

KPCC president Ramesh Chennitahla during the
last elections had brought out a report in which he cited that in 265
booths in Kannur district no party agent except that of the CPM was
allowed to sit.

It is noteworthy that the judiciary has, on
several occasions, reprimanded the State Police for not preventing such
human rights abuses by the CPM cadres in Kannur. Particularly scathing
were the observations of the High Court a couple of days ago, which
openly said that only the presence of Central Forces can restore
normalcy in the region.

It is to highlight these acts of
Stalinism and fascism of the CPM that some members of the RSS and other
organisations including a large number of women spontaneously marched
in a peaceful manner to the CPM HQ in Delhi. Betraying their
Nandigram-style intolerance the CPM cadres repeated what they have been
doing in Kannur – attacked the peaceful demonstrators with brickbats
and chairs – resulting in unfortunate violence on the Delhi streets.

I
appeal to all the right-thinking and peace-loving citizens of the
country to raise their voice against this fascist and Stalinist face of
the CPM in the larger interest of our democracy and freedom. I call
upon the RSS Swayamsevaks allover the country to stand by our
Swayamsevak brethren who have become victims of the brutalities of the
CPM and expose the true nature and face of it which has no place in a
country with such a hoary tradition of tolerance and pluralistic ethic.

As
far as the RSS in Kerala is concerned, it would zealously guard its
Constitutional right of freedom of expression, association and
propagation.

( Yogesh Bapat )
Secretary to Sarkaryavah

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