KANNUR: A BJP worker was killed late on Monday night at Azad Nagar colony in Aroli near Pappinissery after a group of young men assaulted him at his house.
Eight CPM workers and two BJP workers were taken into custody in connection with the murder, said police.
The body of P. V. Sujith, 27, a painter, was cremated at a community crematorium at Pappinissery on Tuesday in tight police security, considering the sensitivity of the area.
The murder was sequel to a minor incident in a school, according to police. Arjun, a class 8 boy of a school in the locality, misbehaved with a girl and Fayas, a CPM worker threatened Arjun of dire consequences. Later Sujith and four other friends in retaliation went to the house of Fayas and threatened him. The next day (Monday) at around 10 pm, Fayas and 10 others attacked Sujith leading to his death.
Kannur Superintendent of Police Hari Shanker told DC that the police is investigating whether there were links between the murder and the three incidents that preceded the murder. "There is no prima facie political reason but we are investigating this angle also as the two groups belong to opposite political camps," he said.
Sujith was severely beaten up with sticks and concrete bars. Police assumes that the attack was not intended to kill him. A 7 cm-long and 1 cm-deep wound in his head was the reason for his sudden death, according to doctors.
Sujith's father Janardhanan, mother Sulochana and brother Jayesh also got injured, when they tried to save Sujith. Locals say political tension was prevailing in the area before the murder also. Nearly 35 vehicles were destroyed in Kannur in the last six months.
