THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF and the BJP have lost no time in mounting an all-out attack on the LDF government over the honour killing of Kevin P. Joseph, 23, whose body was found in a canal at Chaliyekkara, near Thenmala, Kollam, on Monday. Both the parties have called a hartal in Kottayam district on Tuesday in protest against the alleged police failure in preventing the murder. It was when polling was progressing in Chengannur around noon that news broke about the recovery of the body. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala rushed to Kottayam after casting his vote at Chennithala LP School.
Mr Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, local MLA, also joined the sit-in protest in front of Kottayam Gandhi Nagar police station demanding suspension of the guilty police officials. Later, former chief minister Oommen Chandy also reached the venue and demanded Mr Pinarayi Vijayan's resignation. KPCC president M. M. Hassan said the home ministry under Mr Vijayan was an utter failure. "The police were busy arranging the security for the CM in Kottayam on Sunday when Kevin was murdered. The suspension of the sub- inspector is not enough. The CM himself is responsible," he said.
Kerala Congress (Mani) chairman K. M. Mani and his party leaders also supported the hartal call. BJP state general secretary M. T. Ramesh, who was coordinating the Chengannur campaign, demanded a judicial probe into the honour killing. "The real culprits behind the honour killing are not the police, but the home minister and the CPM. The ruling party's decision to take quotations is the biggest threat faced by the state," he said.
In a Facebook post, BJP state general secretary K. Surendran alleged that Mr Pinarayi Vijayan was responsible for the death of Kevin. He added that such incidents were happening because of the wrong policies being pursued by the police department which is acting as a tool of the party. "The DYFI quotation gang allegedly gouged out the eyes of Kevin. The police had opposed the marriage from the beginning. They even tried to talk the girl out of the marriage and harmed her. Though she cried and begged in front of them, the police did not listen to her," said Mr Surendran.
