We’ve murdered many: CPM leader

MM Mani, Idukki district secretary of the CPI(M), on Saturday admitted that his party used to kill its political enemies without any scruple and that it had the courage to admit such acts, prompting the Director General of Police to immediately issue orders for reviewing several of the old cases of murder committed in the mountainous district.

The self goal by Mani, Idukki district secretary for the past 25 years, worsened the situation for the CPI(M) which was already beleaguered by the arrests of its leaders for killing Marxist rebel TP Chandrasekharan of Onchiyam in Kozhikode district, especially on a day the party held a huge programme to protest against these arrests and to warn the Government.

DGP Jacob Punnoose ordered the Superintendent of Police in Idukki to immediately review the case diaries on the murders Mani had specifically mentioned during his speech at Thodupuzha and to initiate case against him if needed. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said legal action would be taken after examining the records of cases Mani mentioned.

“The Marxist party has no involvement in the murder of Chandrasekharan. This party is bold enough to admit it if we have done something. The CPI(M) has experience of dealing with and finishing off those who deserved it… We will kill those who are to be killed and we have the courage to admit it…” Mani said in his speech.

He said that the CPI(M) had “finished off” those  who had worked against it in Santhanpara, Idukki after preparing a (hit)list of 13, but added that all of them could not be killed. “The first one was shot dead. The second was beaten to death while the third was stabbed to death. With this, the Congress fled the place leaving their Khadi clothes behind,” Mani said.

Relatives of Anjeri Baby, victim of CPI(M) violence in Santhanpara, Idukki said they would approach the High Court to seek fresh probe into his murder. “Mani’s admission is like the confession of retired Constable Ramachandran Nair 40 years after the murder of Naxalite Varghese. Like in that case, there should be a fresh probe here,” said baby’s brother Benny,

State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan sought an explanation from Mani for his statements. But even before that Mani said the media had distorted what he had said in the speech. “It is natural that enemies get killed when there are resistances. I haven’t made any new disclosures. All these things are known and these cases are in the court,” he said.

Mani’s speech at Thodupuzha led to immediate calls for action against him and initiation of fresh probes into the mysterious political murders of Idukki with alleged CPI(M) involvement. The State Congress demanded immediate action against Mani and reinvestigation of all the unproven murder cases in Idukki district.

Mani, who was one of the staunchest supporters in the entire Kerala CPI(M) of VS Achuthanandan in the hardliner-reformist faction war in the party till May, 2007 when as then chief minister, he sent a special task force to retrieve all encroached government lands in Munnar, Idukki. One of the first grabbed lands the team retrieved was held by his brother.

Meanwhile, thousands of CPI(M) workers led by State secretariat member Elamaram Kareem and three MLAs held a march to the sub-divisional police office in Vadakara, Kozhikode protesting against the arrest of senior leaders in the Chandrasekharan murder case and alleging that the police were torturing the arrested in the lock-up like they did during Emergency.

However, the march was in fact a show of strength by the Marxists to warn the Government against arresting more party leaders in the murder case, according to observers. The police had made elaborate security arrangements in the context of Intelligence reports that there was possibility of violence during the march.

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