CPM in dock after KSCDC chairman is held for murder of Congress activist
Thiruvananthapuram: CPM leader and Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation chairman S. Jayamohan has been arrested by the CBI in connection with the murder of a Congress activist Ramabhadran of Anchal in Kollam, while three other CPM-DYFI leaders, including a member of a minister’s personal staff, were remanded to judicial custody.
Apart from Jayamohan, a CPM activist Roy Kutty was also arrested by the CBI Thiruvanantha-puram unit on Wednesday after being summoned to the CBI office here for quizzing. Both of them were granted bail.
The CPM maintained that false cases were being framed against party activists. Jayamohan, who is also a member of CPM Kollam district secretariat, said the Crime Branch had earlier arrested the accused for the murder and the present CBI move was part of conspiracy to falsely frame CPM-DYFI leaders.
Fisheries minister J. Mercy Kutty Amma maintained that action would be taken against her personal staff member Maxon, who was among the arrested, only if he is found to be guilty.
Meanwhile, KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran said that the arrest of CPM-DYFI leaders was a set back to the violent politics being practiced by the CPM.
CPM Kollam district committee member K. Babu Panicker, DYFI local leader Riyaz of Punalur and DYFI local leader and minister’s personal staff member Maxon, who were arrested on Tuesday, were remanded to judicial custody till December 6 by a chief judicial magistrate court here. The court will consider CBI's custody application as well as bail applications filed by the three on Thursday.
While CBI suspects the role of Jayamohan and Babu Panicker in hatching conspiracy for the murder, Maxon and Riyaz were suspected to be directly involved in the murder. Roy’s role was suspected in harbouring the crime.
The Crime Branch which earlier probed into the murder of Ramabhadran had held 17 CPM-DYFI activists. However, Ramabhadran's wife approached the High Court seeking a CBI probe alleging the Crime Branch was not probing into the conspiracy behind the murder. Subsequently the court ordered the probe.
Ramabhadran, who was a Congress local leader of Eroor in Anchal, was murdered by a gang at his house on April 10, 2010. The incident was said to be sequel to political tensions that prevailed in the locality.
