CM Pinarayi Vijayan: Murder of Youth Congress workers 'heinous'

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday denounced the murder of two Congress functionaries by CPI (M) men in Kasargod on February 17, calling it ‘heinous’.

The Bekal police in Kasargod has arrested CPI (M) functionary A Peethambaran and his colleagues in connection with the gruesome murder of Youth Congress functionaries S Sarath Lal and K Kripesh following political enmity on Sunday night.

As the ruling CPI (M) finds itself in an unenviable position following the murders in Periya village, Vijayan, who laid the foundation stone for a party office in Kasargod on Friday, said the murder of two young congress functionaries is heinous, cannot be justified in any manner, and the guilty will be punished. The foolhardy act of the men behind the murder paved way for defaming the LDF government which was functioning fastidiously, said Vijayan, who come down heavily on the media for being prejudicial towards the CPI (M).

During his Kasargod visit, the Chief Minister, however, kept himself from visiting the house of the victims. Sources said that en route his visit to Poinachi village, the Congress workers showed black flags to the CM in protest of the killings.

While Congress president Rahul Gandhi is expected to call on the kin of the victims shortly, the Congress has demanded a CBI probe into the double murder.