RSS worker hacked to death before his wife allegedly by the Social Democratic Party of India; FIR calls it a case of ‘political animosity’.
Details of the Murder:
On Monday, November 15th, S Sanjith, a 27-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker from Kerala, Mambaram in Palakkad district was on his way to drop his wife at her place of work at around 9:00 am. when a gang of five men, followed his bike, rammed into him with their vehicle, and then stabbed him to death in the middle of the road over 50 times in front of his wife who was forced to watch.
The victim, S Sanjith was rushed to hospital, he succumbed to his injuries in a few minutes. According to the FIR report, five people were involved in the murder of RSS worker S Sanjith, and the FIR states that the act was a result of political animosity. His wife who is the key witness to the murder was able to testify to the police of the details of the event. She did not sustain any injuries
The FIR mentions that the RSS worker was murdered around 8.45 am on November 15, Monday. Even so, the police have not been able to nab any of the culprits so far. In addition, police have not yet traced the small white car used by the accused to travel. As of now, the FIR only mentions that the case comes under Sections 34 and 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
‘SDPI behind the Murder’
Meanwhile, Kerala Police have confirmed that the Social Democratic Party of India was behind Sanjith’s murder. In addition, they also recovered the weapons near the national highway where the murder took place. Moreover, the investigation has led police to the SDPI’s headquarters in Coimbatore.
BJP Calls for a Probe
The state BJP president calls the attack ‘planned’, demands an NIA probe in RSS worker’s murder, meets the Kerala Governor and accused the Social Democratic Party of India, a political wing of the Popular Front of India, of orchestrating the attack. Police further said that Sanjith, who is from Elappully in Kerala’s Palakkad district, was stabbed more than 50 times. Following the murder, the region was jittery, and police were keeping a close tab on everything. The RSS also blames Kerala Govt for failing to prevent ‘targetted killings’, demanding an NIA probe
Political Murders in Kerala
Between 2000 and 2017, Kerala reported at least 80 political murders. Kerala also reported the third-highest number of murders committed due to political reasons in 2015, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data of that year. In the last 17 years, 85 CPM workers, 65 RSS or BJP workers, 11 workers of Congress and IUML each have been killed – frequently by their political rivals.
Between 2000 and 2016, the Kannur district in Kerala reported 69 political murders, with RSS losing almost as many workers as CPM, according to The Hindustan Times. Kannur is considered to be a bastion of Kerala’s communist movement since the 1930s. The district is the homeland of communist veterans like A. K. Gopalan, E. K. Nayanar and Azhikodan Raghavan. Kannur is said to be the state’s most violent territory – more so with the advent of the RSS in the 1960s. Battles between the RSS and the CPI(M) have claimed over 300 lives since 1969. Most of the victims in politics are from the toddy tapper community, which is a branch of the Thiyya caste
What is the Right-Wing Social Democratic Party of India?
The Right-Wing Social Democratic Party of India is an Indian political party founded on 21 June 2009 in New Delhi. It is the political outfit of the Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). It was registered with the Election Commission of India on 13 April 2010. The party is popularly known as SDPI. MK Faizey is the party’s National President.
Violence Inflicted by the SDPI
Accusations by Sunni Outfits
Muslim Sunni outfits of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama and Sunni Yuvajana Sangham campaigned against SDPI, accused SDPI of being extremist.
Murder of CPIM, Congress, IUML workers
Nine PFI and SDPI activists were found guilty of killing CPIM workers in 2008. SDPI activists were found guilty of murdering Muslim Youth League workers in Kozhikode. SDPI members were arrested for the murder of a Congress worker in Chavakkad. Several SDPI offices have been raided by Kerala Police. Suspected weapons training camps and arms stockpiling were seized in Narath, Kannur district from the offices and other centres of PFI and SDPI.
While SDPI denies any involvement, the charge-sheet filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) blamed the Popular Front of India (PFI) and their political outfit Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) for conducting arms training camps across the state under the pretence of health awareness camps and yoga classes. According to the FIR, the 24 accused in the case were the members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).
Cases were registered under sections 143, 147, 153(B), R/W 149 of IPC, section 5(1)(a) r/w 25(1)(a) of Arms Act, section 4 of Explosives Act and section 18 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of the Indian Penal Code.
Four SDPI activists were arrested for attack on two Communist Party of India (Marxist)(CPI-M) members at Mangalam, Tirur, on 29 January 2014. SDPI accepted the responsibility after a video of this violent attack was aired by major television channels. However, the party justified the attacks reasoning that it needs to safeguard its members. As per the party’s district president, the attack was just an emotional reaction from its members to an attack the CPM executed against one of its members on the same morning.
Murder of RSS members
In Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP has called for a state-wide strike in Kerala after a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker Rajesh Edavakode died after being attacked. Rajesh, 34, died in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram after the brutal attack in which his palm was chopped off. The incident happened in the night around 9 pm in the state capital.
While some people mention that S Sanjith had 20 criminal cases against him, this does not justify his brutal murder, and if people sporadically take the law into their hands ruthlessly murdering others in open daylight, one can only conclude that lawlessness and anarchy have taken over in Kerala. The barbaric political murders in Kerala are rising and the Chief Minister needs to be more vigilant about this and take strong steps to prevent this.