One Dead, Several Injured As Violence Marks Polling Day in Kerala

After a long recess, political violence returned to Kerala on Tuesday after a closely fought assembly elections in the state. Incidents of violence were reported across the state, from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram, in the last 12 hours. One person died in Kannur.

Manzoor, a Muslim League worker, was hacked to death at Panoor that falls under the Kuthuparamab Assembly Constituency in the district. The police have taken one CPM worker into custody in connection with this incident.

Manzoor, who was badly injured in an attack, breathed his last at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Wednesday morning. His elder brother Mohsin is undergoing treatment at the same hospital with serious injuries. The brothers were attacked in their home at 8:30 pm on Tuesday after an altercation at a polling booth. In a Facebook post before the attack, the person in custody had warned Muslim League workers of ‘a day memorable to them.’

“Neither of my sons was involved in acts of violence, don’t know why they killed my son,” Musthafa, Manzoor and Mohsin’s father told News18.

“The assailants even prevented Manzoor from being take to hospital and he died of excessive bleeding from wounds,” said senior Muslim League leader PK Kunajalikkuty from the hospital in Kozhikode.

According to the deceased’s neighbours, bombs were hurled at their house before the attack. “A gang of nearly 20 people were there in the attack,” a local Muslim League leader, Najaf, told media.

A leader of the Yuva Morcha from Kasargod is undergoing emergency surgery at a private hospital in Mangalore following an attack. Sreejith Parakkalayi, Kasargod district vice president Yuva Morcha was attacked by a gang and both of his legs were almost chopped off. The BJP alleged that CPM was behind the attack,.

In another attack in Kannur, Mujeeb Rahman of Cherukkunnu was attacked allegedly by CPM workers after the election. Bombs were hurled at the house of a UDF polling agent Sahadevan at Kuthuparamb.

Three CPM workers, including the personal staff of Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran, have been taken into custody following clash with BJP workers at Kattayikonam in the Kazhakootam constituency, a stronghold of the Marxist party in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Four BJP workers were injured and their car was damaged. “Protestors aimed to disrupt the voting procedure and alleged that police were acting as ‘agents’ of the BJP,” said Kadakampally Surendran, who is also the CPM candidate from the constituency.

Sobha Surendran, the BJP candidate from the constituency, had earlier in the day held a sit-in protest in front of a polling booth in the area.

Nearly a dozen Congress workers were injured in Alappuzha district on Tuesday eveing following attacks in Harippad and Kayamakulam Assembly constituencies. According to the injured CPM workers were behind the attack.

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