Kerala: Congress worker hacked to death; Clashes between BJP, CPI-M

In fresh escalation of political violence in poll-bound Kerala, a 28-year-old Youth Congress worker was hacked to death allegedly by Democratic Youth Federation of India workers at Evoor in Alapuzha on Tuesday even as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India - Marxist workers clashed in Thiruvananthapuram district leaving at least 30 injured.

Police sources said that Youth Congress worker Sunil Kumar was woken up from sleep at 2 am on Tuesday morning by eight activists of the DYFI, the youth wing of CPI-M, and attacked as he ran out of the house.

Kumar suffered serious injuries on his hands and legs and later succumbed to his wounds, the police said. The victim was said to have been a DYFI activist earlier.

Four DYFI workers have been arrested, the police said and added that a hunt is on for others.

Last night, the BJP and the CPI-M workers had clashed at Kattayikonam in Thiruvananthapuram district, leaving at least 30 injured. One of them is reportedly in serious condition.

Former BJP state President V Muraleedharan was among those injured in stone throwing, allegedly by CPI-M workers.

Demanding the arrest of the accused, the BJP observed a hartal in the district on Tuesday.

The CPI-M had also called for a hartal in Kattayikonam.

Vehicles have been exempted from the hartal's purview to prevent inconvenience to students appearing for exams.

As the political heat over the May 16 elections is slowly rising, reports of rival party workers clashing in various parts of the state, especially northern Kannur district, are also increasing.

An RSS worker was recently hacked to death in Pappinesseri and a BJP worker escaped with serious injuries in Panur, both in Kannur district after they were attacked allegedly by CPI-M workers.

It's a do or die battle this time for the BJP, which has so far not opened its account in the Kerala assembly and is going all out to woo voters across the state.

The BJP has entered into an alliance with the newly floated Bharat Dharma Jana Seva, an organisation of the numerically strong Ezhava community.

The fact that the saffron party had performed well in the local body polls in November has also given it a glimmer of hope.

Both the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front, which have ruled the state alternatively all these years, are also leaving no stone unturned.