Kodiyeri in a spot over cop’s killing

Suspicions are being aired about the truthfulness of the claim by Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, DGP Raman Srivastava and CPI(M) leaders that the killers of police ASI Elias at NSS Hindu College, Changanassery were RSS-BJP men.

Police sources indicated that the claim could be unfounded as there were no clues to prove this. There is suspicion that the claim is part of a strategy to save the actual culprits as had happened in the murder of NDF activist Fazal in Thalassery in which BJP men were accused first and CPI(M) activists were arrested later.

State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has found it expedient to act and behave like a third-rate politician rather than a Home Minister and this is seen in his recent reactions on issues including the sudden shunting of the DGP(Jail) MGA Raman and other issues in which CPI(M) workers clashed with members of other political parties.

Kodiyeri, who was in the forefront to unleash a campaign against the RSS and the BJP in the killing of the NDF worker in Thalassery, had to finally direct his police to arrest three CPI(M) local workers. The killing which took place early in the morning of October 22, 2006 when Faisal was on his way to deliver the news bags of his organisation’s official mouthpiece Thejas.

As there were clashes between the NDF and the RSS in some parts of Kannur district the Home Minister immediately came out with the statement that it was the RSS workers who had assassinated Faisal .

There were even walkouts by NDF representatives at the peace conference convened by the Thalassery RDO alleging the presence of local BJP leader and councilor N.Haridas in the meeting with the NDF accusing him of being behind the killing. This according to sources in the NDF was owing to some selective leaks given by some persons close to the Home Minister .

After no culprits were taken to custody in the Faisal murder the NDF agitated in Kannur district and this resulted in the police arresting three CPI(M) workers resulting in protest marches and poster wars against the Minister in his home town and much to the bewilderment of the beleagured Minister in his own village of Kodiyeri .

The Minister in his first ever visit to his home constituency Thalassery after being sworn in as Minister had made a boldly asserted that no one should take the law into one’s hands and that the law and the police would act independently .This was following reports in the media that with Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a leader known for his criminal antecedents, becoming the Home Minister of the State would lead to political unrest in Thalassery and the adjoining areas of Panoor and Kuthuparamba ,the epicentre of the political violence in Kannur district .

It may be recalled that the late CPI(M)leader MV.Rajagopalan who was the Thalassery MLA had been accused of having nourished the political killings in the town and incidentally he was the mentor and father-in-law of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Political observers still link Balakrishnan to this history and background.

Ever since this issue Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is seen as defending the CPI(M) local workers and even known party goons at every available opportunity and political observers are of the opinion that the Minister wanted to show of his attachment to the party cadre in the run up to attaining the top post in the party and then in the Government. It is no secret that the wily politician is aiming for the Chief Ministership upsetting even Pinarayi Vijayan’s applecart.

Sources in the police indicated to hartal that there was no urgency or need for the Minister to have made such an irresponsible statement on the identity of the culprits and that once the case comes up in the court of law there is nothing which could boomerang as the prima facia statement of the State Home Minister would naturally affect the mindset of the investigating officers . Even the State DGP Raman Srivastava has been reduced to parroting the Home Minister’s line rather than having an independent stand of his own .