AYUSH ANAND & VAIBHAV CHADHA
Date of attack: July 11, 2016
Place: Payyanur, Kannur district, Kerala
Victim & incident: This is the story of CK Ramachandran (52), auto-rickshaw driver, former regional president of BMS and a prominent figure of RSS in the area. He was brutally killed at night in his house after nearly 50 CPM goons surrounded and attacked his residence. At the same time, several other houses and properties of Sangh workers were also attacked by different group of 50-100 CPM people in the Payyanur area. On that fateful night of horror, CPM workers attacked and damaged 18 houses of Sangh workers. Four shops owned by Swayamsewaks were completely vandalised and looted. One school and one RSS office was attacked; one bus, one multi-utility vehicle, one tractor, three minibuses, four cars, seven auto-rickshaws, 17 bikes, two scooters and one bicycle belonging to the Swayamsewaks were completely destroyed.
The mayhem began with the murder of a local CPM goonda, Dhanraj, (38). He had more than 20 police cases registered against him of cognizable and non-cognizable nature. Because of his activities and criminal record, he had been barred from entering the area under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007, popularly known as KASA. After the coming of the LDF Government in Kerala, Dhanraj again started his criminal activities in the area. The police and the district administration started dancing to the tunes of the local CPM leadership.
On the day of Dhanraj’s murder, he had a clash with SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) members, a political wing of the Popular Front of India (PFI). He was killed in this incident by SDPI cadres in their tussle of hegemony. After this incident, DGP Kerala said that it was not a political murder. The Chief Minister, who also belongs to this part of Kerala, blamed he violence on RSS workers in his party line and also later to the media. It was done even though the DGP had claimed it as a criminal murder having no political nature.
Thereafter the CPM cadres of the area, who are the most ill-famed across the country for their history of political violence, systematically executed these attacks against almost all prominent figures of sangh workers of the area to instil fear among them and to satiate the opposition’s blood thrust of communist cadre. Here it is noteworthy that the all workers who were attacked were previously marked by CPM cadres for revenge attack as they were deeply involved with the activities of RSS or BJP.
Attack-1: Arsha Vidyalaya, Annur, Payyanur (Affiliated to NIOS & attached to Vidya Niketan, Kerala)
This is a school attached to VidyaNiketan society operated in Payyanur municipality from class LKG to 7th Std. This school was established in 1997 by Sahdevan. Since then the school is being operated as per the traditions of Vidya Niketan. The Swayamsewaks of the area struggled hard to establish this school in the communist strong hold to spread nationalistic and quality education in the area. Initially this school had only 40 students. ‘Now in 2016 its enrolment reached up to 231,’ said the principal of the school. He said most of the children of school come from the families of traditional CPM voters.
Secretary of the school, K Ramchandran, said that the growth of the school created fear in the mind of communist cadres that they may lose their traditional votes, so initially they started hate campaign and massive ill-will propaganda against the school. But even though because of quality of education and facilities like smart class, sports, toddlers care etc. school flourished and attracted a majority of fresh enrolment this year in the school. Finding all their means in vain to destroy the school, they ultimately showed their real character at the night of 11th of July 2016. Inspired by the Stalin’s ideal of politics, more than 100’s of CPM cadre attacked the school in the midnight in the guise of taking revenge of murder of CPM history sheeted goon Mr.Dhanraj.
Secretary of the school said that even though the majority of children belong to the families of CPM Voters, but the local cadre of CPM didn’t even think for once about their education before attacking the school. He said how could attacking a school and meddling with the education of children of the village help CPM cadres to prove their political clout and dominance in the area? Are we not allowed to run a school in a communist ruled state? He said all the glass windows were broken, now all the class room have only iron grills left and there was no protection from wind or rain for the children’s there. Smart class rooms were completely dismantled; projectors and screen were also broken, fans were also damaged. Classroom toys were broken and thrown away. All chairs of the school were broken by CPM goons. He said this attack by CPM cadre on his school caused heavy damage to the school properties and in total for an amount of Rs. 6 Lakhs.
The despair and sense of losing their school articles were clear on the face of the children. Local residents whose children study in the school were also annoyed because of such act of vandalisation, but because of fear there is a silence all over the area. Parents sent their children to the school on the very next working day and the school started running with whatever remains from the very next day after cleaning up all the broken pieces of glass pan, chairs, toys and note books. Police has not yet arrested anyone in this case as the attackers are in with complete patronage of LDF government and even being guided by CPM leadership. On the Guru Purnima event at school, there was large attendance form the local community members of the Annur.