Payyannur on edge: Supporters of rebel candidate Kunhikrishnan targeted in post-poll violence

PAYYANNUR: A wave of targeted violence swept through Payyannur in the early hours of Friday, as properties belonging to political activists and supporters were vandalised and set ablaze. The most severe attack targeted T. Purushothaman, a prominent CPM member and state president of the Kerala Aqua Farmers Federation, whose support for an expelled party member has sparked significant local friction.

At approximately 12:30 AM, assailants arrived on three two-wheelers at Purushothaman’s residence. The attackers shattered eight window panes on both sides of the house before turning their attention to a car parked in the front yard. After smashing the vehicle’s windows, the group used fuel to set the rear tire on fire. The family, alerted by the commotion, managed to extinguish the flames using a water hose, narrowly preventing the vehicle from being completely gutted.

Purushothaman, who serves as the chairman of the Aquaculture Development Cooperative Society (ADCOS) and editor of Jalakarshakan magazine, had recently become a target of social media vitriol. The hostility followed his public support for V. Kunhikrishnan, a former CPM member who contested the recent elections as a UDF-backed independent. Purushothaman had notably participated in Kunhikrishnan’s book launch at Gandhi Park following the latter's expulsion from the party.

A high-level police delegation, led by Rural District Police Chief Anuj Paliwal, Payyannur DySP P.L. Shaiju, and Inspector C. Binu, arrived at the scene to coordinate the investigation. While the total financial loss at Purushothaman’s residence is estimated at ₹5 lakh, the psychological toll on the community is mounting. Surveillance footage from a nearby residence is currently being analysed to identify the riders of the three motorcycles captured at the scene.

The violence was not isolated to a single residence. On Friday morning, K.P. Rekha, a Congress supporter, discovered that a 15-meter section of the wall surrounding her property had been demolished. The wall was notably covered in election graffiti supporting Kunhikrishnan.

Elsewhere, P.V. Subhash, a CPM activist and former municipal ward councilor, awoke to find a funeral wreath placed at his front gate—a chilling symbolic threat that has become a hallmark of political intimidation in the region.

In a formal statement, CPM Area Secretary Adv. P. Santosh vehemently denied the party’s involvement in the unrest. Condemning the acts of arson and vandalism, Santosh called for the immediate arrest of the culprits, asserting that the CPM has no role in the post-election violence currently gripping Payyannur. Police have registered multiple cases and continue to monitor the area to prevent further escalation.