On November 23, two Communist Party of India (Marxist) members were allegedly stabbed to death in Thalassery, Kannur, by DYFI goons. The dead were identified as Khalid (52) and Poovanazhi Shameer (40), natives of Nettur in Thalassery.
Usually, whenever any CPM worker is killed (especially from the ‘minority’ community), the communists immediately blame the RSS. Suspiciously, this time around, they failed to come up with such allegations.
Leftist media immediately painted the dead as martyrs who questioned the drug mafia and had to pay with their lives. It was also noted (in small print) that there were financial disputes between them regarding the sale of a vehicle. This indeed showed that the victims and their killers had prior links. Within hours it emerged that the drug cartel killers belonged to the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the militant youth wing of the CPM.
While Khalid died at the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital, Shameer passed away at a private hospital in Kozhikode. Their relative Shanib, 29, has been admitted to the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital with minor injuries. He was stabbed in the back while allegedly running away. According to Shameer’s deathbed confession to the police, Jackson and Parai Babu (47), who reportedly belonged to a drug racket, stabbed him.
As per local media, it all began when Jackson allegedly beat up Shameer’s son Shabeel who questioned the gang for selling drugs on Wednesday afternoon near Nettur. Khalid and Shameer took the injured Shabeel to a hospital.
Learning that Shabeel was admitted to the Cooperative Hospital, the drug mafia led by well-known goonda Parayi Babu reached the spot. They took Khalid and Shameer outside on the pretext of reconciliation. The accused stabbed Khalid in the neck, and Shameer sustained severe injuries in the scuffle after he was jabbed in the stomach.
Vijayan’s Response
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the double murder by the drug mafia in Thalassery had ‘shocked the state’. He claimed that Khalid and Shameer, natives of Nettur, were killed for ‘joining the fight against drug addiction’. The killing comes amid the government’s ongoing mass campaign against drugs and addiction.
As part of citizen intervention (derided as ‘moral policing’ when Hindus do it), there has been widespread questioning of the sale of drugs. Drug mafia groups are upset about it. He added that drug cartels must be dealt with without compromise, and society should wake up and work for it.
“Strict legal action will be taken against the culprits. Such gangs will be suppressed through loophole-free investigation and the intervention of police and excise departments. Additionally, citizens should realize that those who join this struggle will not be attacked (murdered). They and their family members should not be left helpless. We all have a responsibility to help them. The government is confident that it will have the support of the people. Let’s fight to save our country and future generations from a catastrophe,” the CM said.
In a Facebook post, the Chief Minister expressed his condolences to the family members and relatives of those killed in Thalassery.
Parai Babu
Photos emerged of Parai Babu, the main accused, participating in a DYFI program earlier this month. He was part of a human chain at Kolasseri during an anti-drug program organized under the auspices of DYFI! The CPM’s argument that an imaginary drug mafia is behind the killing fell apart. DYFI workers are selling synthetic drugs, and its leaders are conducting fake campaigns to fool the public, locals allege. A team of police officials led by Thalassery ACP Nithin Raj arrested Babu after the pictures went viral.
CPM is still trying hard to propagate that their workers Khalid and Shameer were killed for ‘opposing the drug gang’. News emerged that this is likely propaganda. Rather shamelessly, the leftist media now claim that Babu is a ‘former’ RSS member! Doesn’t that prove that the communists offer better assistance for drug runners? It is also true that the drug mafia has infiltrated every political party in Kerala. KPCC Vice President VT Balram posted on Facebook that Babu is also an accused in the case of stone pelting on former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Babu is a mafia leader whose gang is based out of Illikkunnu in Thalassery and who used his DYFI/CPM political connections for his evolution. Babu controlled the second-hand vehicle industry, junkyards, and the dangerous vehicle recovery business in and around Thalassery. The lure of quick and easy money drew him and his gang into the synthetic drug trade. Locals had earlier complained about the underworld activities of Babu’s gang, but allegedly even the police hesitated to enter his sanctuary.
Babu used his underworld contacts and escaped to Virajpet immediately after the murder. Virajpet is a small town in Kodagu, Karnataka, just north of the Kerala-Karnataka border. The city is notorious for harboring fugitives from Kerala. Unfortunately for the goons, the situation has changed in the past few years.
Following the Mangaluru pressure cooker IED incident involving ISIS terrorist Mohammad Shariq, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai has ordered strict vigil along the border regions. A couple of days ago, he said that many people commit crimes and flee by crossing the state border. Borders are fragile, due to which people from Kerala come here and vice versa.
Babu had escaped to Karnataka, but strict policing meant he was forced to return to Kerala. On his way back, the accused was caught from Iritty on the Kerala-Karnataka border. So far, five members of his gang and two who helped him evade arrest have also been arrested. Police identified the arrested as Parayi Babu, Jackson, Farhan, Naveen, and Sujith Kumar. Arun Kumar and Sandeep, who aided Babu’s escape, were also arrested.
The investigation team recovered the weapon used for the murder hidden in the bushes near Sandeep’s house. An auto used by the accused to escape after the crime was also taken into custody from the same location. Babu himself led the police there. They were brought to the scene to collect evidence and later produced in court.
Kannur Police
Kerala is awash with deadly narcotic drugs like MDMA, and copious amounts are being confiscated. Babu and his gang focused on college students, and his contacts in Karnataka helped him procure and transport drugs from there. Parai Babu is accompanied by gangsters who go to any lengths to make money. Several such gangs operate throughout the state; many are based out of Kannur. Some operate better while in jail, and Babu will be in good company. Communist mobs allegedly rule the district and kill and maim at will.
Jackson and Babu’s links with drug sales have been confirmed. Local police refused to accept the CPM’s claim that the murders were committed for questioning the sale of drugs in the area. Clashes between the drug cartels have also occurred earlier, and attempt to resolve them have failed.
On Thursday, CPM state secretary MV Govindan claimed that firm action would be taken against the drug mafia regardless of their political ties. Kannur city police commissioner Ajith Kumar remained tight-lipped and would not confirm that drug mafia gang rivalry was behind the murders. One cannot blame him.
Past incidents have proven how the CPM has silenced officers and left them paralyzed using brute force. Even if the police collect enough evidence, our Collegium-led judiciary has a notorious track record of releasing hardened criminals or denying justice by allowing litigation to drag on endlessly. They have a particular soft corner for alleged radical Islamists, Maoists, drug kingpins, and anti-national elements.
Opposition leader VD Satheesan alleged that a DYFI activist could indulge in any illegal activities if he becomes a member of CPM or subsidiary organizations, showing the leftist regime’s decay.
“The second Pinarayi government has brought Kerala to a state where a CPM member and a criminal cannot be distinguished. Communist leaders in different parts of the state are also conniving with the lucrative drug gang mafias. The government has created a situation where no one can leave home without fear. CPM should not try to protect the accused in the murder case because he is a party worker”, he added. The opposition leader also demanded to clarify whether the Chief Minister and the Home Department treated the Thalassery double murder as an ‘isolated’ incident; Vijayan loves to use this option or denies knowledge whenever his government is in a tight spot.
“Kerala has become a safe corridor for drug trafficking and gangster mafias. Still, no effective action from the Home Department to suppress such mafias is a challenge to ordinary citizens. CPM district and area secretaries have taken over the work of the SP (Superintendent of police) and SHO (Station house officer). Police officers who are supposed to maintain law and order are doing slave labor at AKG Centre (state headquarters of CPM)”, Satheesan added.
Nettur lies between the lawless lands of Thalassery and Dharmadom. Allegations of Islamization/Talibanization of the DYFI, especially in north Malabar, have been swirling around for long. In the Kerala legislative assembly, Thalassery is represented by zealously anti-Hindu/anti-RSS assembly speaker AN Shamseer and Dharmadom by Kerala CM Vijayan. Shamseer is embroiled in several criminal cases and is known to instigate and protect party criminals and killers. He has threatened the police and allegedly bombed their official quarters, but our courts have come to his rescue and granted him bail every time he commits a crime.
Some consider Shamseer a serious contender to become the first Islamist chief minister of Kerala who will complete a full five years in office. His competition is PA Mohammed Riyas, Vijayan’s son-in-law and Kerala PWD/Tourism minister. The less articulated about Riyas and Vijayan, the better. Incidentally, Riyas was the DYFI national president from 2017 until 2021.
Interestingly, neither Riyas, Shamseer, nor current DYFI president AA Rahim mentioned a single word about this double murder incident at the hands of alleged DYFI drug kingpins on their social media handles. Rahim is also the incumbent CPM Rajya Sabha member. They did find time to tweet and rave about the Qatar world cup, probably the most controversial sporting event ever.
Analysts claim that the contribution of such leaders has helped Kerala reach a state where radical Islamists and drugs are eating us from the inside out. There are also allegations that the drug mafia has grown so big that the communists cannot control the same.
