Rahul consoles families of three slain YC workers

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday met with the family members of three slain Youth Congress activists allegedly killed by CPI-M workers and assured they will get justice.

Gandhi visited the homes of Kripesh and Sarath Lal, who were hacked to death last month in Kasaragod district, and met with the family members and consoled them.

"My promise to them is no matter what happens, they will get justice. We will ensure that whoever has done this will be punished. I understand the situation right now.

Let me assure those people who had done this, that justice is going to come to them," Gandhi told the media after visiting Kripesh's house at Kalyot in Kasaragod district.

Kripesh's father said Gandhi had assured them that a CBI probe would be ordered into their deaths.

According to sources, during his visit to Sarath Lal's family, Gandhi reportedly told the family that the All India Congress Committee has been viewing the incident seriously and promised all possible help to them.

The Youth Congress workers were allegedly hacked to death by assailants on February 17 as they were returning after a function.

Earlier, Gandhi spent around half an hour with the parents and sisters of slain activist Shuhaib at the Kannur international airport and extended the party's support to them, party sources said.

Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mulapally Ramachandran were among those present during the meeting.

Party sources said the Congress chief, who arrived on a day's visit to the state to officially kick start the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign, wanted to meet the family of Shuhaib, an alleged victim of political rivalry, despite his hectic schedule.

An active party man hailing from Mattannur near Kannur, Shuhaib, 29, had served as the Mattannur block Youth Congress secretary. He was hacked to death on the night of February 12 last year allegedly by CPI(M) activists.

A number of ruling party activists were arrested later in connection with the murder.

The opposition Congress-led UDF and Subhaib's family members had demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing.