Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday met the family of murdered Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker Rajesh Edavakode in Thiruvanathapuram, reported ANI. At Edavakode’s condolence meeting, Jaitley said, “This kind of violence will neither suppress [RSS] ideology in Kerala nor scare our workers.”
Jaitley said that instead, it would only increase the determination of the RSS workers to work harder against those indulging in violence. “There were 70 to 80 wounds on his body. Even the enemies of India are not this barbaric,” Jaitley said speaking of Edavakode’s death.
On Friday, the National Human Rights Commission had sent notices to the Kerala government and the director general of police about the gruesome political violence in the state, PTI reported. The commission gave them four weeks to submit a report on the matter and asked them to take steps to curb the incidents.
Violent political conflict
A spate of violent attacks have been reported recently between the BJP-RSS alliance and the ruling CPI(M). There have been several political murders in Kerala since the Left Democratic Front government came to power in May 2016, with the victims coming from both sides. The RSS and the CPI(M) have blamed each other for the bloodshed.
On July 29, an RSS worker in Kerala died after his attackers chopped his palm off. CPI(M) workers were suspected to have been involved in the attack.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!