On Friday night, Saddam Hussain, the Imam of Sankuvaramedu mosque in Palakkad town, was arrested for harboring a Popular Front of India (PFI) terrorist involved in the murder of former RSS Pracharak A Sreenivasan. Earlier, an accused in the RSS worker S Sanjith murder case was also arrested from the same mosque. The radical Islamist outfit PFI manages the mosque.
Sanjith was hacked to death by PFI terrorists on 15 November 2021, and Sreenivasan was slashed and murdered by PFI jihadis on 16 April. On 19 December 2021, PFI goons hacked and killed OBC Morcha state secretary and a member of the BJP state committee, Advocate Renjith Sreenivasan. HinduPost had reported several such political murders of RSS/ BJP workers, and in a majority of the cases, the PFI was behind the brutal murders.
Seven terrorists and their sponsors have been arrested for the murder of Sreenivasan, including the Imam. On Thursday, four were arrested and were identified as Muhammed Bilal, 22; Muhammed Riswan, 20; A Riyasudheen S/o Abdutahir, 35; and Sahad S/o Mohammad Rashid, 22. Two more accused, named Ashfaq and Ashraf, were arrested on Friday.Â
All the four arrested on Thursday are the office bearers of the PFI regional units. Police have not been able to find the six-member gang which hacked Sreenivasan to death. They are still absconding, and it has been a week since the murder. Bilal’s brother is the main accused in the case and is among those on the run.
Bilal’s brother hid in Hussain’s mosque near Sankuvaramedu in Kalpathy and left his mobile phone there. Police took the accused to the mosque and recovered the phone. They also seized the two-wheelers that the accused used to reach Melamuri and a goods auto to transport the five swords used in the killing. The weapons used in the murder are yet to be discovered.
All those arrested are from the Palakkad district, three from Sankuvaramedu, and one from Puthuppariyaram. Kalpathy is right in the middle of Palakkad town, and Islamist influence is apparent. More than two dozen mosques have sprung up in quick succession. Sreenivasan was killed in his shop at Melamuri on April 16. The four jihadis who were arrested are the ones who aided and abetted the murderers. Details about the ones apprehended on Friday remain unclear.Â
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Vijay Sakhare, camping in Palakkad, told the media that police had identified 16 accused in connection with Sreenivasan’s murder. He said that those arrested conspired to murder Sreenivasan on April 15. They wanted revenge for the killing of another PFI worker named Subair, who was killed on that day.
Sakhare said that all four met near a ground behind the mortuary where Subair’s body was kept and planned the murder. Once they confirmed that they wanted to revenge, the terrorists informed PFI leaders about their decision. Early the next day, it is alleged that the PFI top-brass ordered the assassination of Sreenivasan.
PFI wanted the retaliation to be quick and effective. They wanted someone whom they considered low-risk and unguarded. Sreenivasan had stopped actively working for the RSS and concentrated on his business.
A PFI B-team was also pressed into action. They provided cover to the six who took part in the murder and were spotted in the Melamuri area where the murder happened. They were supposed to step in only if the killers faced retaliation.
Six PFI terrorists arrived in three two-wheelers, and the pillion riders entered Sreenivasan’s establishment and brutally murdered him. They ran back to the vehicles, and all the murderers and their accomplices sped away. Some even returned to the mortuary where the police kept Subair’s dead body after the murder.
Bilal and Riyasudheen were present with the six-member gang in Melamuri. Police said the accused were identified from the CCTV footage from Melamuri and the hospital where Subair lay dead. Riswan collected the belongings from the killers and handed them to their homes. Sahad took part in the conspiracy and arranged other help to the murderers.
In how these jihadis have killed, it is clear that they have all received training in the use of weapons, and they know how to kill someone in no time. CCTV visuals showed that it took them just 15 seconds to murder Sreenivasan. Who is training them?
Multiple Hindu organizations have come forward to help Sreenivasan’s family. Those who wish to donate to his ailing father, daughter, and wife can follow the links provided below.
