Kannur violence: Centre seeks report from Kerala govt on BJP worker Remith's death

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday sought a report from the Kerala government on the brutal killing of a 25-year-old BJP activist in Kannur district. In a communication, the Home Ministry has asked the state government to provide details of the incident and steps taken to nab and punish those responsible for the crime. The Home Ministry has also asked the Kerala government to inform it about the steps taken for security of political workers in the state, official sources said. [caption id=“attachment_3049710” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  BJP activists stage a protest march in Kochi as part of the statewide dawn to dusk strike on Thursday against kiiling of BJP worker Remith. AP.[/caption] BJP activist Remith was hacked to death in Kannur district, the hometown of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday, within 48 hours of the murder of a CPM activist and toddy shop worker Mohanan. The BJP organised a ‘bandh’ in Kerala on Thursday to protest the killing of its party activist. As a mark of protest, buses and autorickshaws were off the roads on Thursday, keeping in line with the 12-hour state-wide hartal called by the BJP in Kerala to protest against the brutal killing. This is the second hartal in Kannur district within 3 days as the CPM had observed a hartal in protest against the murder of their worker.

Reacting to the killing, BJP National President Amit Shah had tweeted, “Attacks on BJP karyakartas in CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s home constituency is a matter of grave concern and smacks of political vendetta”. “Chavassery Uttaman, Remith’s father was similarly killed in 2002, his mother suffered serious injures when his house was attacked recently”, Shah tweeted. CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury had said the violence in Kerala has been started by the RSS-BJP combine itself and blaming the state’s ruling party for the same is “total fabrication” of facts. Vijayan had yesterday hit out at the RSS for the growing violence in the state which he alleged was with the support of BJP government at the Centre. Vijayan, while speaking at a function in Alappuzha, attacked RSS and BJP over the attack on a Marxist worker in Kannur two days ago and accused RSS of spreading violence in the state.