Four including a former RSS worker arrested for murder of CPI(M) local leader

Pathanamthitta: Kerala police on Friday arrested four people, including one "former" RSS worker, among the five accused in the murder case of a CPI(M) local secretary at Peringara near here.

P B Sandeep Kumar, who is also a former panchayat member, was stabbed to death here on Thursday night.

Police have arrested prime accused and RSS worker Jishnu Chathankari (23), Pramod (23), Nandu (24) and Mohammed Faisal (22). Another accused, Abhi, is absconding, police added.

The first three accused were apprehended from Karuvatta in Alappuzha district whereas Faisal was held from a lodge at Thiruvalla.

The hideouts of the accused were triangulated based on information gathered and with the location of the cell phone tower, police said.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Friday said that the worker was earlier ousted from the party and RSS does not have any connection with the murder.

The CPI(M) has called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Thiruvalla municipality and adjacent panchayats protesting against the murder.

Reacting to the incident, the CPI(M) State secretariat had issued a statement blaming the RSS and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.

According to the police, the incident occurred at around 8.30 PM on Thursday.

Police had said there were 11 stab wounds on the body of the victim who died before reaching a hospital.

After the victim tried to settle a dispute between the accused -- who were allegedly drunk -- and a shop owner, his bike was chased and he was stabbed multiple times, said the police.

Kumar is survived by his wife and two minor children.

After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to relatives which was taken to the CPI(M) party office in a procession with hundreds of party workers accompanying.