Kannur: Youth Congress leader S.P. Shuhaib hailing from Edayannur was hacked to death allegedly by CPM workers late on Monday night. Shuhaib was taking tea at a roadside eatery with his friends when a gang arrived in a van and threw a country-made bomb and hacked him on his legs. His friends, Noushad, 27, Pallipparambath, Riyas, 27, and Riyas Manzil, who tried to save him, were also injured and admitted to a private hospital in Kannur.
Shuhaib, who was bleeding profusely, died on the way to Government Medical College, Kozhikode. The post-mortem was also held at MCH. The Congress observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kannur on Tuesday. Shuhaib was Youth Congress Keezhallur mandalam president. Around two weeks ago, he was arrested in connection with the clashes in a nearby school and was released on bail.
The CPM workers had allegedly taken out a procession a fortnight ago shouting death threats against him. The Congress workers have circulated the video soon after his death. The Congress alleged that the slogan stated ‘Ninte Naalukal Ennappettu’ (Your days are counted).
However, the CPM denied the allegation with district secretary P. Jayarajan promising to conduct a probe within the party. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala condemned the killing as ‘Red Terrorism’. However Mr Jayarajan retorted that the coinage sounded similar to that by the RSS.
Kannur DCC president Satheesan Pacheni will hold a hunger strike on Wednesday in front of the collectorate demanding the speedy arrest of the culprits. Kannur range IG Mahipal Yadav told this newspaper that four people were suspected to be behind the attack, but none was taken into custody yet. “Though the CPM has denied any role in the murder, it seems to have political involvement, as the victim was earlier involved in clashes with the CPM in the locality with cases and counter cases,” the IG said.
