Following the murders two political leaders in less than a day, prohibitory order of Section 144 under CrPC has been imposed in Alappuzha district of Kerala for two days, district collector A Alexander said on Sunday. Two state-level leaders of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Bharatyia Janata Party (BJP) were killed amid growing tensions between the two parties in the region.
Clashes ensued in the district after the back to back murders. High vigil is being maintained in the area and senior police officers have been rushed to avert further tensions. It is believed that the second attack was in retaliation to the murder of the SDPI leader state secretary Shan KS.
Shan succumbed to his injuries at a Kochi hospital around midnight, police said.
Hours later, BJP’s OBC Morcha’s state secretary Ranjeet Sreenivas was hacked to death in his home by some assailants who barged into his house on Sunday morning, police said.
Police said it suspects the fatal attack on Sreenivas, also a member of the BJP state committee, was in retaliation to the killing of Shan.
“Such heinous and inhumane acts of violence are dangerous to the state. I am sure that all the people would be ready to identify and isolate such killer groups and their hateful attitudes,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a press conference, assuring police action to identify the accused.
The BJP and the SDPI have accused each other of being responsible for the murders.
BJP state president K Surendran said this is the “third brutal murder of BJP workers in last 60 days. PFI goons are trying to destabilize the state”.
Union minister V Muralidharaan also condemned the attacks, alleging “goondaraj” (lawlessness) in Kerala and said the state is turning into “killing fields”. Tagging Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, he tweeted.
Earlier, an RSS worker, S Sanjith, was hacked to death allegedly by the workers of the SDPI, which is the political wing of the People’s Front of India, on November 15.