TWO activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) were hacked to death by Congress criminals on Onam night in Venjaramoodu, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. Comrade Haq Mohamed (28), President of Kalinginmugham unit and Mithilaj (32), joint secretary of Thevalakad unit, were killed. Emerging reports suggest that the murder was meticulously planned and professionally executed with our comrades being held down and stabbed through the heart. Eyewitness accounts state that a gang led by Congress criminals stopped the victims who were on motorbikes and attacked them.

This double murder has come in the wake of the murder of Comrade Siyad, who was stabbed to death by a Congress goon a few days before, and is part of the Congress ploy to destabilise Kerala's harmony in the run-up to the elections.

Protests against the brutal killings were held all over the state. Thousands of DYFI and CPI(M) activists staged protests as they gathered on the streets for observing the Black-day on September 2. In every branch, a five-member group assembled in five centres and raised slogans against violence perpetrated by the Congress goons. On September 1, lakhs and lakhs of DYFI activists staged a state-wide protest.

Black-day was observed for two hours from 4 pm, by observing social distance norms and all other Covid-19 related protocols. CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan inaugurated a dharna as part of observing the Black-day in Rajendra Maidan, in Eranakulam. Central Committee members A Vijayaraghavan and K Radhakrishnan led the programme in two different places in Thrissur. P K Sreemathi and M V Govindan took part in two places in Kannur and Vaikom Vishwam, Elamaram Kareem and P Karunakaran inaugurated dharnas in Kottayam, Kozhikode and Kasaragod respectively. DYFI all India president P A Muhammad Riyas attended the dharna at Kozhikode.

The dual murder is a reflection of the desperation of the Congress party in the state. It failed to frame the LDF government in the gold smuggling case. As the investigation by the National Investigation Agency progresses, the head of RSS news channel and various UDF activists were held for interrogation. The no-confidence motion moved in the state assembly ended up in the huge set-back to the opposition as the LDF members exposed the involvement of the BJP-UDF leaders in the smuggling case. In the house, LDF MLAs had successfully presented the  government’s pro-people projects and measures.

Venjaramoodu, a traditional bastion of Congress was selected for the gruesome murders. Prior to this incident, Congress goons brutally attacked Faizal, a CPI(M) worker on the day of Bakr Eid last month. The same goons took part in the dual murder.

In another development, a voice clip which establishes the fact that the local MP and Congress leader, Adoor Prakash had helped the culprits, has come to light. A shelter was also provided to the accused in Konni, Prakash’s native place. Adoor Prakash openly justified his action of protecting Congress workers involved in this operation, in the television debates. Involvement of Preeja, a Mahila Congress leader and Gopan, a gram panchayat member has also come to light.