Thread: India: Kasargod: Two arrested in connection with murder of Azhar

India: Kasargod: Two arrested in connection with murder of Azhar



Kochi, (TwoCircles):

Two persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of Muslim League activist Muhammed Azhar (21) in Kasargod on November 15. Ramesan (21) and Satheesan (30) were arrested by the police yesterday. The arrested are reportedly activists of the BJP or the RSS.

Muhammed Azhar was stabbed to death by a group of men on the road during the violence in Kasargod on November 15. Azhar and his two friends were reportedly asked their names and then attacked by the men. The two men who were with Azhar were also injured in the attacks and are undergoing treatment. The police have also reportedly found the knife used for the murder. The accused were arrested from Kudlu where they were reportedly hiding after the incident. The police are searching for the others in the group who are reportedly the friends of those arrested.

Three more persons have been arrested in connection with the violence in the city on the day. Venu, Aswanth Kumar and Naveen Kumar were arrested, making the total number of those arrested in connection with the incident to 17.

In another development, leaders of the UDF visited violence-hit Kasargod today under the leadership of Opposition leader Oommen Chandy. The UDF demanded that District Superintendent of Police Ramdas Pothen be charged for murder and added that the police was trying to communalise the whole issue. The state general secretary of the CPI (M) Pinarayi Vijayan opined that the police firing was inevitable in Kasargod.

Two people were killed and several others injured in the violence and police firing in Kasargod in northern Kerala on November 15. Violence erupted in the city after the public meeting organised by the Muslim League district committee to honour the party’s state leaders including state president Hyderali Shihab Thangal and general secretary PK Kunhalikkutty. The police initially fired tear gas shells and lathicharged to disperse the mob, and then took to firing. Shafeeq (18), an activist of the Muslim League, was killed in the police firing, reportedly by SP Ramdas Pothen. Muhammed Azhar was stabbed to death when he was returning home after attending the meeting. The state government has ordered for a judicial inquiry into the incidents. The state Crime Branch is now in charge of the investigation.