Onam the harbinger of love and oneness, has taken a beating in Kerala over the past few years thanks to the endless political rivalries that have made it a bloody and hapless affair. The northern districts usually bear the brunt of such heinous killings. This time around, the misfortune has befallen the southern district of Thiruvananthapuram. Two DYFI workers were chased and hacked to death in the middle of the road on the eve of Thiruvonam at Thembamoodu in the outskirts of the district. The police claim that political rivalry has spurred a few Congress workers to engage in the premeditated murder. The political affiliation of the perpetrators attests to the allegation though the Congress top brass has denied their role in it. It is appalling and ironic that the people who supposedly follow in the footsteps of the great Mahatma have waylaid and barbarically hacked their opponents to death. The victims Mithilaj (32) and Haq Muhammad (23) were returning home after closing their shops for the day. Another person who was accompanying them fled for his life.

The police did a commendable job by arresting the perpetrators within a few hours of the incident. A woman was also arrested for harbouring the criminals. The police finding that the group of nine arrested were Congress and Youth Congress workers speaks for the political backdrop of the crime.

The FIR points to the political skirmishes that broke out between the DYFI-Congress workers during last year’s Lok Sabha election campaign finale as the motive behind the ruthless murder. The names of a few Congress workers resounded back then for their alleged involvement in grievously hewing a DYFI activist. The current incident is surmised to be a fallout of these earlier clashes. Whatever the reason, the two youths whose lives were recklessly ended were hardworking, generous and well loved. When incidents such as these happen, the air gets suffused with the whimpering prayers of countless mothers, sisters and wives that such misfortunes should never recur. Even those who are total strangers to the victims are deeply pained by the futile loss of their lives. The hapless victims of Thembamoodu who lost their lives at knifepoint had families too. The pain of their families at having lost their loved ones untimely will linger for a very long time to come. The henchmen and their political gurus hardly care about such far reaching repercussions. These men who impulsively jump at the opportunity to wreak vengeance seldom realise that the same fate awaits them.

Clashes and fights between different political parties during election campaigns are ubiquitous and die down once the elections are over. But if the blaze rages on, it is the responsibility of the political top brass to snuff it out. It is their duty to protect the lives of their cadre. Whether in power or not, none of the leaders can shy away from their responsibilities.

Killing to settle old scores does not bode well for the leaders either. We are a lot who take pride in the ‘Kerala model’. But it is high time that our leaders saved Kerala from the current political model of politicians ruthlessly doing away with their opponents at the slightest provocation. Shedding crocodile tears or building memorials bring no laurels. A life lost cannot be regained. Those who embark on a killing spree egged on by misguided fanaticism should understand that politicking does not equate to gangsterism.

Kerala is gearing up for two elections. It is obvious that the political atmosphere is going to hot up. Political leaders should see to it that enthusiasm does not metamorphosize into extremism. The belief that our leaders are prudent enough, to realise that violence begets violence, still holds good. The cadres who ready themselves to kill on behalf of their leaders should think of the life of incarceration that awaits them. They should also understand that they are not pawns to kill and be killed. There is no new lesson to be learnt when we unfortunately have before us, a tragic legacy of innumerable martyrs.