RSS leader's murder: Attack survivor identifies culprits

A survivor of an attack in which RSS leader K.T. Manoj was killed in Kerala's Kannur last week has identified the culprits Monday. The CBI will probe the case.

A team of the Kerala Police crime branch Monday morning recorded the statement of survivor Pramod, who is admitted to the Medical College Hospital here.

Informed police sources said Pramod recalled the events and said they were travelling Sep 1 in a van with Manoj at the wheel.

Suddenly, a group of people threw country-made bombs at the vehicle that damaged the windshield. Manoj lost control of the vehicle and it stopped.

The attackers then pulled Manoj out from the vehicle and hacked him to death.

The police have named CPI-M activist Vikraman as the key accused but no arrests have been made yet.

Pramod was injured in the leg.

Last week, Director General of Police K.N. Balasubramaniam recommended the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said.

The state BJP-RSS leadership has prevailed upon its national leadership and union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has already spoken to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy regarding the case.

Kannur has over the years seen Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP-RSS) and CPI-M activists indulging in violence against each other.

Following the murder of Manoj, police patrolling has been beefed up in the city.

Manoj was one of the accused who made an unsuccessful bid on the life of Kannur CPI-M district secretary P. Jayarajan in 1999.

After Manoj's murder, Jayarajan's son Jain Raj had posted on a social networking site that it was long awaited, thus angering the BJP and RSS activists. Raj was booked under the IT Act for his post.