Twenty20 party member dies days after being attacked, party alleges CPI(M) hand

A 37-year-old man from the Kizhakkambalam panchayat in Kerala succumbed to his injuries on Friday, February 18, days after he was allegedly assaulted by workers of the CPI(M). The man, identified as Deepu CK belonging to a Scheduled Caste community, was a member of the Twenty20 party. Deepu, who lived in a Dalit colony in the panchayat, was attacked on Saturday, February 12, while taking part in a protest by Twenty20 against local MLA PV Sreenjin.

Members and activists of the Twenty20 party alleged that Sreenjin hampered development projects in his constituency, under which the Kizhakkambalam panchayat falls. The activists also alleged that the MLA had opposed them collecting money from residents to erect street lights in the panchayat. The Twenty20 party then had called for a protest, wherein all households switched off their lights for 15 minutes, in which Deepu had also taken part.

Provoked by this, a group of men allegedly belonging to the CPI(M) assaulted Deepu, and threatened him not to complain to the police. Deepu sustained injuries to the head and had to be hospitalised. He was first admitted to a private hospital near East Kambala on Monday, but was later shifted to the Rajagiri Medical College Hospital. He was later put on life support.

MLA Sreenjin has, meanwhile, claimed that Deepu’s death was caused not by the assault, but by liver cirrhosis.
Kizhakkambalam panchayat member Nisha Aliyar alleged that Sreenijin was present during the attack. She also said that CPI(M) activists “beat Deepu like a dog” and stabbed him in the neck.

“After beating him up like a dog, they are saying liver cirrhosis? We will not let it go. They told me that they were the ones who beat him and they were CPI(M) people. My brother (Deepu) who worked alongside me has gone away. He stayed in the house for two days because they threatened him, which delayed his treatment. Doctors said that he should be put on a ventilator, and then said if they removed the ventilator, he would not survive. They said that he suffered brain death. That MLA Sreenijin is behind all this,” the activists have alleged.

Deepu’s death was confirmed by the medical board on Friday morning, after it became clear that he was not responding to medication. The Twenty20 activists have also sought an elaborate investigation into the issue.

Two days ago, police had arrested four CPI(M) workers in the case on charges of attempt to murder, according to the Indian Express. However the police claimed that they were not informed that Deepu was badly injured. “A ward member of Twenty20 was present when the incident happened. She did not inform the police seeking help, nor did any other leader of the Twenty20 despite the fact that he had to be at the house for two days. If he was critical, any of the party people could have sought police help, but it didn’t happen,” Eby, Principal Sub Inspector of Kunnathunadu police station, told TNM.

Courtesy: The news minute

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