CPI(M) friends targets Muslims following their lessons on how ‘Hindu terrorists’ are targeting Muslims.And then they began attacking us.

Marxist violence creates fear psychosis in Kannur

VR Jayaraj | Kannur

ST Umer Haji, 84, had set up his provision store at Pariyaram Poyil near Thalipparambu in the CPI(M) stronghold of Kannur district 60 years ago. Since then, he has helped the Marxists both politically and individually to the best of his ability. But the same Marxists who received his help in all these years had not felt even the slightest sting of scruple when they attacked that shop and stole whatever they could from there last Saturday.

“I don’t know how I have wronged to them,” Umer Haji says, in choked voice and tears trickling down the cheeks. “I know who did this. They are all either friends or close acquaintances. Among the things they stole were ten bags of chilies and Rs 10,000. I would have given them without any complaint if they had asked,” the old man, a Muslim offering Namaz five times a day, sobs, looking at the debris of his shop

Umer Haji is just one among the many Muslims whose houses and shops were attacked in the three-day violence perpetrated by gangs of CPI(M) activists. Several people suffered hack injuries in the violence the CPI(M) gangs unleashed and the resistance offered by Muslim League activists. Nobody in the area has any idea of even a perceptible provocation for such large scale violence which has pushed villages like Pariyaram, Koranpeedika, Onapparambu near Thalipparambu into some kind of fear psychosis.

Muslims are refusing to open their shops fearing more attacks though there are several policemen on duty on the roads. “In several places, the Marxist attacks had taken place before the eyes of the policemen and they had not moved ‘even a finger’. That is the advantage these goons have their party is in power. The police are even now unable to instill confidence in the people,” said Fatima, a housewife, who had seen the friends of her own son running helter-skelter with iron rods looking for vulnerable Muslim homes.

Fear, reaching the levels of schizophrenia, is tangible in the house of P Ali Haji. “Why did they attack us?” Ali, whose house was literally demolished by the Marxist marauders, asks in surprise. They also destroyed the van he had bought with the earnings of an entire life in the Gulf. Ramla, Ali’s wife, is still in a state of shock. Ali, Ramla and their two children are not in a hospital now with hack injuries only because they had the presence of mind to hide in the bathroom when the marauders went through their mission of demolition and looting.

“Till the other day, my CPI(M) friends had been giving us lessons in how ‘Hindu terrorists’ are targeting Muslims. And then they began attacking us. As far as I can see, the Marxist objective is to convince the Hindus in the area that they are against us so that there can be some election advantage. But the fact is that the Hindus here are sympathizing with us in our losses,” said Aboobacker of Pariyaram.

In the three days of violence, a rice mill owned by a Muslim League sympathizer was bombed, at least 13 houses were destroyed and several shops came under attack. Many vehicles also came under attack. Natives of Koranpeedika said though the attackers were Marxist party activists, they had acted like plain robbers who took away anything of value they came across.

“Several of the Marxist goons who went on the rampage even during broad daylight from Saturday to Monday were wearing masks because they were all known to the victims,” said a Muslim shop-keeper at Pariyaram. Even police officials say that the attackers could have stolen about 100 sovereigns of gold from the houses they attacked, apart from money the estimates of which are not yet complete.

“I think a sense of political defeat is driving the Marxists mad,” says Ramesan Nambiar of Thalassery. “On Friday, their killer squad brutally murdered two BJP men at New Mahe in the district. On Saturday, they unleashed violence against Muslims in another part of the district. What kind of politics is this?” asks Nambiar, a former CPI(M) activist.

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