Repeated incidents of clashes in recent months between Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] workers and Sangh Parivar activists have turned areas under the Chakkarakkal police station limits in the district into hotspots of political volatility.
The latest bomb attack that left CPI(M) worker K. Samesh seriously injured at Chembilode on January 3 and a retaliatory attack in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker and bus driver Udayakumar suffered stab injuries have heightened the tension in parts of Chakkarakkal. Samesh lost his left leg in the attack. The police continue their raids to nab the assailants and unearth weapons. Peace in the area remains elusive as the rival political parties accuse each other of fomenting violence. The latest incidents occurred barely a day after the CPI(M) leadership reciprocated positively to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s offer of talks to end violence in the district.
The CPI(M) leadership accused the RSS and the BJP of scuttling peace initiative. CPI(M) district secretary P. Jayarajan said Chakkarakkal incidents showed that the RSS does not favour peace. The CPI(M) responded positively to the offer of talks because the party always wanted peace. He alleged that the RSS was trying to unleash unrest in CPI(M) strongholds. The Sangh Parivar is pumping in money to expand its activities in the district, he alleged.
The BJP district committee, in a statement, blamed the CPI(M) for instigating violence against Sangh Parivar workers in different parts of the district. It said the allegation that the RSS was pumping in money for its activities in the district betrayed the CPI(M) concern about the growth of the BJP. It also alleged that the some leaders were openly calling for violence against Sangh Parivar activists.
The police said that stringent measures were being taken against culprits involved in clashes and bomb throwing. The police raided several suspected areas in the tension-prone Chakkarakkal areas immediately after the latest outbreak of violence.
