YC state president Rahul also claimed the police FIR clearly states that the bombs were being made to be used during the Lok Sabha polls.
Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil and Kerala BJP president K Surendran. (Facebook)
BJP and the Congress in Kerala on Thursday, 11 April, continued to accuse the CPI(M) of being behind the recent blast in Kannur district that claimed one life and injured three others, while the Left party denied any involvement in the incident.
The Congress alleged that the police investigation into the blast has not been satisfactory, and demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the case.
BJP state president K Surendran said senior CPI(M) leaders were involved in the incident and there was a conspiracy to attack BJP and RSS leaders in the state during the elections.
Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil, on the other hand, claimed the bombs made in Panur were intended to be used against the UDF as the CPI(M) in Kerala and the BJP are partners.
“The tactic of using bombs and killing people to win in elections should be stopped. That is our only concern,” he said, adding that no one would have come to know about the bombs being made if one had not exploded accidentally.
He also claimed the police FIR clearly states that the bombs were being made to be used during the Lok Sabha polls.
At a press conference in Palakkad, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said it was the NIA that probes incidents related to blasts and bomb-making as it was created for that purpose, and therefore that agency should probe the Kannur blast as well.
“The recent blast in Panur in Kannur district should be probed by the NIA as the ongoing investigation by the Kerala Police is not satisfactory,” he said.
He claimed that only an NIA probe would be able to unearth the facts and reveal the actual culprits behind the incident.
Chennithala said that another reason he was seeking an NIA probe into the case is that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) State Secretary MV Govindan have allegedly made moves to save the accused.
The Congress leader also claimed that the country-made bombs were going to be used against the UDF as the Left Front feared defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Similar views were aired by PK Firos, General Secretary of the Muslim Youth League’s Kerala State Committee.
Firos claimed that the police were hiding details about the case as well as the health condition of those injured in the blast. Therefore, there is an apprehension that the police might not carry out a proper probe, he alleged.
Meanwhile, Govindan denied the allegations and said the Left party had no role in the blast or the making of the bombs.
“The party has no role in it. We have no need to make bombs. Many of our workers were attacked and killed. We did not retaliate. Instead, we organised public protests against the same. So, we have no need for bombs,” he told reporters in Kannur.
On being asked by reporters as to whether the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has any role, Govindan said they should ask DYFI.
When reporters asked whether the CPI(M) has any mass (allied) organisations, he said no.
“We do not have any mass (allied) organisations…It is the Congress which has mass organisations,” Govindan said.
According to police, one of the arrested accused in the blast case is a local DYFI leader.
The police had also said that several of the other accused in the case were CPI(M) workers or supporters, which the Left party has denied.
Surendran, meanwhile, has demanded an enquiry by the Election Commission of India into the blast and that a senior police officer be given charge of the investigation.
“The current investigation is not going on in the right track,” he claimed.
A country-made bomb, while being made, had exploded on 5 April at Panur in the north Kerala district of Kannur and had stirred the political waters in the state.
Sherin, a resident of Kaivelikkal, succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. The other injured person, Vineesh, lost one palm and is in critical condition, according to the police.
Both of them are supporters of the CPI(M), said police.
Mannanthala Police Station’s State House Officer (SHO) Biju KR had told South First that police had not ruled out the possibility of the country bomb being intended for an attack — either targeting specific individuals or law enforcement personnel.
“We are working to uncover all the details of the incident and determine the intended target or purpose of the country bomb. So far, we have received no clues on the motive behind the making of country bombs,” he said.
The SHO added that it was only after the interrogation of the accused that more details might come to light on the motives and background. “We will file a custody application,” said Biju.
Meanwhile, the cops on 4 April, collected evidence from the blast site with the help of ballistic experts from the State Forensic Science Laboratory.
According to police, the four were habitual offenders and had cases ranging from theft, NDPS Act, and Explosives Act against them.
“We are collecting their details. They are involved in theft. They also have a history of possession of drugs and making of explosives,” said a police officer.
According to the officer, a police team had gone to their respective houses in search of them in connection with a theft case, and this might have irked them.
“Maybe the country bomb was made to attack the cops. However, we are yet to confirm that,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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