Tension broke out at Punnad near Iritty here on Tuesday as rival Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers set to fire four motorcycles, thus escalating the law and order situation in the area already hit by tension following clashes between the rival workers.
The trouble started when the two-wheeler of CPI(M) worker K. Sreeijith's motorcycle parked at his house was set afire at Poomaram at Punnad at around 12 midnight by suspected BJP workers. In a retaliatory attack, BJP sympathiser K. Hareendran's two-wheeler was torched by alleged CPI(M) workers at around 3 a.m. at nearby Parangot. Another BJP worker Ajith Kumar's bike parked at his house was set fire in the early hours. The situation worsened in the morning as a group of suspected BJP workers stopped a bike driven by CPI(M) worker Sanjayan torched it at around 10 a.m.
The police said that there was tension following the gathering of rival workers on Tuesday morning. The police said that large posse of police personnel were deployed in view of the tension there.
Super market set to fire: A super market owned by Indian Union Muslim League activist Shoukath Ali was set ablaze by a group of miscreants, allegedly CPI(M) workers, Parappul near Taliparamba in the early hours of Tuesday. The police said that the miscreants poured petrol after partially opening the shop shutters. The shop suffered heavy damages in the fire, according to the owner. The area had been tense following the clashes between CPI(M) and IUML workers.