There is no witnesses to the heinous crime in which two youths of ages 19 and 24 respectively were hacked and stabbed to death when they were returning home in the night after taking part in Muchilottu Perunkaliyattom organisation committee Sunday night.

This crime that took place at a desolate country path in the darkness once again projects the barbarous face of political vendetta. The murdered youths, Sharathlal and Kripesh, were active workers of Youth Congress.

When the Congress has blamed the CPM for the murders, the latter has dismissed the charges. The culprits’ face and the conspiracy behind the murder will become clear only when the police completes the investigation.

If we look at the incident, setting aside politics and flag symbol, the dead were two youths who should have lived a valuable life for their homes and families for many years more. The youths who were lying on roads and nearby woods with blood stains all over their body were spotted by passers-by and rushed to hospital. Kripesh died on the spot and Sharthlal died on the way to hospital. Police presumption is that three-member team stalked the duo, in a jeep, and committed felony in a very well pre-planned attack. The attackers were experienced killers and they left the spot spoon after committing the crime.

As usual, the twin murders had their own repercussions across the state. The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Youth Congress in the State brought hardships to people.

Though Thiruvananthapuram was avoided on account of Attukal Pongala, the capital wore the look of a hartal-affected place. Schools and colleges remained close and exams were postponed.

But the high court took suo-motu case against the Youth Congress as they observed a lighting hartal without prior notice, in violation of its recent order. Besides sending notice in this regard, the court also warned that party leaders would responsible for hartal-related destruction of properties.

It is a sad thing that leaders went on to think that hartal is an essential thing to make protests against the cruel killing complete.
General opinion against hartal has been growing louder and hartal. Even the Congress leadership has spoken against this ‘anti-people protest method’. Police hopefully will find out the culprits and hence it is not necessary to inconvenience people by holding hartal.

It is said that the twin murder is a fallout of prevailing petty local issue between Youth congress workers and CPM workers. In an earlier case in which CPM men were attacked, the current victims were accused. The case is still pending before the court. Clashes between the workers of the two parties have been going on now and then in the area. But the failure of parties concerned to intervene in the issue and rein in their workers is what that leads to the politics of crime. There is no point in shedding ‘tears’ after the lives have been taken heinously.

All should keep away from politics that takes the life of their opponents. The politics should not have degraded to the level of appointing quotation team to hash the head of opponents. In the Kallyottu murders also, a quotation team is said to be behind the crime.
When are we going to understand that we are moving on a dangerous path!