KOTTAYAM: CPM leader M.M. Mani's Udumbanchola constituency in Idukki was rocked by political violence and killings ever since the murder of Youth Congress leader Anchery Baby in 1982. Four of the six major political murders happened in the three panchayats in the constituency over trade union issues in the cardamom estates. The first three murders were that of Congress activists Anchery Baby, 25, Mullan Mathai, 38, and Vettukadu Nanappan, 40. Two murders happened at Vandiperiyar constituency in 2004.
Anchery Baby was shot dead by a group of persons on November 13, 1982 when he was going to attend a meeting of the INTUC at a cardamom estate at Aattukal in Senapathy panchayat. Baby had incurred the wrath of political opponents since he had been wooing cardamom employees into the INTUC fold from the CITU. Later, Mullanchira Mathai, 42, another activist of the INTUC, was murdered by a group of persons when he was returning home at Kulapparachal in Senapathy panchayat on January 16, 1983. Vettukadu Nanappan, 38, who was the mandalam vice-president of the Congress party at Chinnacanal, was murdered in June 1983 at Muttukadu at Chinnacanal panchayat.
"With these murders, the political opponents of the Congress used the situation in their favour," recalled Senapathy Venu, DCC general secretary. The high range was relatively peaceful till 1996 when Valeriyil Kuttachan, a former branch secretary of the CPM joined JSS after K.R. Gowriamma launched the party. Kuttachan was stabbed to death at Vattapara in Senapathy panchayat by alleged CPM activists.
CPM Vandiperiyar local committee secretary Ayyappadas was stabbed to death allegedly by Congress activists in 2004 at Vandiperiyar town. In a retaliatory attack, INTUC district secretary and Vandiperiyar panchayat president M. Balu, who was the first accused in the murder of Ayyappadas, was murdered allegedly by CPM activists on October 22, 2004 while he was addressing a public meeting at Pattumala estate near Vandiperiyar. The political murders ceased ever since the murder of Balu and the area is relatively peaceful now.
