Kerala political attacks: CM Pinarayi Vijayan calls BJP, RSS leaders for talks

State BJP chief Rajasekharan, along with BJP MLA O Rajagopal and RSS leader P Gopalankutty, attended Monday’s meeting, which lasted nearly two hours. Balakrishnan represented the CPM. Rajasekharan said, “We had a cordial discussion with the chief minister and Balakrishnan. We have taken a decision to prevent any kind of violence. There is no point in discussing what has happened. The government has assured it will ensure an impartial probe into the incidents.”

A series of minor attacks and counter-attacks from early last week eventually led to massive violence in the state capital on Friday. “But after CPM councillor I P Binu’s house was targeted at Kunnukuzhi (near the BJP state committee office in Thiruvananthapuram), it led to the midnight attack on the BJP office by local CPM-SFI leaders,” a senior police officer said. “Within two hours, houses of several CPM leaders in the area were attacked, including that of Bineesh Kodiyeri,” the officer added.

But the fatal attack on RSS worker Rajesh Edavakode on Saturday night does not appear to have had a direct link to recent incidents of violence, an officer probing Edavakode’s death said on Monday. “We have registered an FIR based on a complaint from an RSS worker, alleging that it was a political murder. But there seems to have been personal motives behind the murder,” the officer said.

DGP Behara had, on Sunday, also said that he could not confirm a political motive in the murder unless evidence emerge. The BJP has called it a political murder. The CPM has denied that the accused was involved with the party.