In a bid to untangle the conspiracy angle of the murder of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) worker Abdul Shukkoor at Keezhara here a few months ago, the police team investigating into the killing issued a notice to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary P. Jayarajan and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State secretary T.V. Rajesh, MLA, asking them to be present before the investigating officer for answering questions in connection with the probe.
The police disclosed here that the notice issued by the Valapattanam Police Circle Inspector U. Preman, who is in the special team probing the murder of the 21-year old youth at Keezhara under the Kannapuram Police Station limits here on February 20 last, was served on the CPI(M) district secretary. The notice was served at the party district committee office, Azhikodan Mandiram, here on Sunday and it was accepted by the office secretary. The notice asked Mr. Jayarajan to be present before the CI at the Valapattanam Police Station at 11-30 a.m. on June 12 for questioning in connection with the ongoing investigation into the murder case. The police said that similar notice meant for Mr. Rajesh could not be served on him as he was not in town. It asked the MLA to be present before the CI at 11-30 a.m. on June 17. The police said that the notice would be served on Mr. Rajesh in a couple of days.
The murder of Shukkoor, IUML worker hailing from Ariyil, was apparently in retaliation to the attack by suspected IUML workers on Mr. Jayarajan and Mr. Rajesh during their visit to Ariyil on February 20 morning. The body of Shukkoor with a single stab injury in his chest was found in a paddy field at Keezhara on February 20 afternoon.
According to the investigators, the way the murder had been executed is what makes the killing unique. It drew the charge that the murder followed the ‘order’ of some party leader(s) to eliminate the young IUML worker. According to the investigating officers, some of the arrested CPI(M) workers told the police team that the decision to retaliate the attack on the CPI(M) leaders had been taken at the Taliparamba Co-operative Hospital where Mr. Jayarajan and Mr. Rajesh had been admitted after the vehicle they were travelling in was attacked at Ariyil. The decision to interrogate the two CPI(M) leaders is to shed light on the conspiracy aspect of the murder, the police said.
The investigating team is of the view that the conspiracy behind the murder was too apparent to be brushed aside. There was a gap of nearly two hours between the capture of Abdul Shukkoor, his friend Zakaria and three other youths, from the house of one Muhammad Kunhi, and the attack on Shukkoor and Zakaria. While Zakaria escaped with stab injuries, Shukkoor succumbed to his single stab injury. According to the police, as soon as the five youths reached Valluvankadavu near Keezhara by crossing the Kuttikkol river in a ferry craft, they had gone to the house of Muhammad Kunhi. A group of CPI(M) workers had then reached there and asked the house-owner to release the five youth alleging that they were behind the attack on the CPI(M) leaders.
Though he had initially refused to leave the five youths to the CPI(M) workers, he was forced under threat to ask the youths to leave the house. The captors then had taken the photos of the five youths on their mobile phones and sent the snaps as MMS messages to some leader(s) to get them verified. After the ‘verification’ process was over, three of the captured had been released by the CPI(M) workers and Shukkoor and Zakaria had been taken to the field.
As of now the police have arrested 25 of the total 31 CPI(M) who have been identified as accused in the murder case. The arrested included CPI(M) Ariyil local secretary U.V. Venu.
