CPI(M) protecting conspirators behind murder of Youth Cong activist: UDF claims in Ker Assembly

The Congress-led opposition UDF in Kerala on Friday raised in the Assembly the killing of a Youth Congress activist in 2018 in Kannur district and alleged the ruling Left front was opposing a CBI probe in the matter to protect the conspirators behind the murder.

The opposition, in an adjournment notice, alleged that some of the accused were close to the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and that is why the state government spent lakhs from the exchequer to defend them all the way to the Supreme Court.

They also questioned as to why a fresh probe was not ordered by the state government when the main accused in the case recently posted on his Facebook page that he carried out the killing for his party.

Responding to the allegations of the UDF, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in the House that a single judge of the Kerala High Court had allowed a CBI probe in the case on the victim's parents' plea.

However, as the order cast the Kerala Police, which had carried out a fair, competent, accurate and unbiased probe, in a bad light, it was decided to go on appeal to the division bench which in turn stayed the single judge order and later set it aside, Vijayan said in the House.

For the same reason, the state government opposed in the apex court the parents' plea against the High Court's division bench order, he said.

Meanwhile, as the main accused -- Akash Thillankeri -- violated his bail conditions by getting involved in another criminal case, the police moved the trial court for cancellation of the relief granted to him, the CM said.

He also said that humans are fallible and there may be such individuals in the Left front too.

''If that can be rectified, it will be done. Else appropriate action would be taken. The LDF government is not in favour of protecting goondas and action will be taken against criminals without any exception or exemption,'' the CM said.

He contended that the present issue has been raised in the House as a ''smokescreen''. He said the main accused, who was out on bail, was arrested earlier this week and put in preventive detention.

Therefore, there was no need to discuss the issue by adjourning the House, he added.

In view, of the CM's submissions, Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission for the adjournment motion.

Pursuant to denial of permission, the opposition staged a walkout in protest.

Prior to the walkout, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly V D Satheesan said the CM did not answer the question as to why no further probe in view of the fresh revelations by one of the accused.

Akash Thillankeri, a prime accused in the murder of YC activist S P Shuhaib in Kannur in 2018, put up a Facebook post on Wednesday accusing the local leadership of the ruling party in Kannur of giving him directives to commit crimes.

The shocking revelation was made in response to a post by a local leader of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Mattannur in the politically volatile district.

Satheesan said, ''You are not even looking into those who conspired to carry out the killing. You are not even imposing UAPA on those who used explosives.'' That YC worker was killed without any provocation, the LoP said.

''We dare you to not oppose a CBI probe so that those behind it can also be caught and brought to justice,'' Satheesan challenged the Left front in the Assembly.

In the FB post, Thillankeri had claimed that Edayannur party leaders had directed him and his gang to carry out the crimes.

He said if they opened their mouths, many of them (CPI(M) leaders) would not be able to walk in open.

The accused even alleged that those who ordered the killing had received jobs in the cooperative bodies, run by the party, but they were pushed to poverty and ostracism which forced them to turn to crimes like gold smuggling.

Shuhaib was killed by a gang at Mattannur in Kannur district on February 12, 2018.