An all-party meeting convened by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala here on Thursday in the wake of the killing of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] worker P. Vinodan in an alleged bomb attack at Vadakke Poyilur here last week resolved to restore peace in the district.
Briefing reporters after the two-and-a-half-hour meeting at the Collectorate conference hall here, Mr. Chennithala said a meeting of State-level leaders of the CPI(M), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would be convened by him in the capital on April 29 to forge an understanding among the leaders and this would be passed on to local level workers of the respective parties. Rural Development Minister K.C. Joseph and Agricultural Minister K.P. Mohanan, who were present at the meeting, would be present at the meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, he added.
Stating that all political parties at Thursday’s meeting promised their cooperation in ensuring that local-level issues and tension would not be allowed to fuel political violence, the Home Minister said adding that the police would continue to act tough against any attempt to create unrest in the district.
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Additional forces would be deployed in tension-prone areas, he said adding that in the coming days intensive measures, including raids, would be conducted to unearth bombs and weapons. A local-level all-party meeting would be held at Poyilur on May 2.
The party leaders at the meeting agreed to the proposal that local leadership of the parties concerned would inform the district leadership of even small issues that could create unrest. Referring to the concerns about invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused in cases of political violence, Mr. Chennithala said it was not the government’s intention to impose the UAPA that infringed upon any person’s liberty.
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The UAPA would be invoked only in ‘extreme’ cases such as committing murder after creating terror situation by exploding bombs and anti-national activities, he said. All political parties condemned the intimidation of police personnel in police stations, he added. The State-level meeting to be held on April 29 would also discuss measures to be taken against political parties which display their campaign posters and banners in public places, he said.
MLAs A.P. Abdullakutty, T.V. Rajesh, James Mathew, and T. Krishnan; political leaders M.V. Jayarajan (CPI-M), K. Surendran (Congress), K. Ranjith (BJP), and V.K. Abdul Khader Moulavi (Indian Union Muslim League) were among those present at the meeting. Additional Directors General of Police N. Shanker Reddy (Northern Range) and A. Hemachandran (Intelligence), District Collector P. Bala Kiran, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kannur Range) Dinendra Kashyap and District Police Chief P.N. Unnirajan were present.
Apart from conducting raids, additional forces to be deployed in tension-prone areas
Meeting slated for April 29 to discuss measures to be taken against political parties