The Hindu : Front Page : Police directed to suppress violence in Thalassery

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Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
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Police directed to suppress violence in Thalassery

Manoj Abraham assumes charge as Kannur SP

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said here on Tuesday that the police had been directed to take strong action to suppress violence at Thalassery in Kannur district.

Addressing a press conference, the Minister said that enough policemen were being deployed to trouble-prone villages, with higher officials camping there to direct action.

Mr. Balakrishnan said the Kannur Superintendent of Police Mathew Polycarp had been shifted as he had failed to check the continuing violence. The senior-most police officer in the rank of Superintendent of Police Manoj Abraham took charge as SP on Tuesday. Director-General of Police Raman Srivastava would visit the district on Wednesday.

He said the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was at the receiving end of violence in Kannur whether it was in power or not. It was the government’s policy that power would not be used to suppress political opponents.

Opposition flayed

The Congress-led Opposition was campaigning that the CPI (M) could not protect its supporters even in the constituencies of the Home Minister and the Chief Minister. The violence by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was intended to create such an impression. The Opposition wanted to stir up anti-Marxist feelings which could help it in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The Opposition was thus encouraging the violence by the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

He said the Revenue Divisional Officer had initiated bilateral talks between CPI (M) and BJP leaders to bring about peace. An all-party meeting would be held only if the circumstances were conducive for it.

He said that so far four CPI (M) supporters had been killed. He said that besides killing four persons, the perpetrators of violence had also attacked the CPI (M) local committee office at Thalassery, Christ College and City Centre at Thalassery and destroyed books at AKG Memorial Library. They were trying to create terror, the Minister added.

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