The DCC office that was vandalised in Mayyil town, Kannur | Photo: Express
Kannur: A series of violent incidents were reported across parts of Kannur on Thursday night, shortly after polling for the Assembly elections concluded, with cases ranging from property damage to physical assault.
In the Payyanur constituency, unidentified individuals allegedly attacked the residence of T Purushothaman, reportedly believing he was associated with former CPM leader and UDF-backed independent candidate V Kunhikrishnan.
The attackers were said to have broken windowpanes and set fire to a vehicle parked on the premises. Family members managed to extinguish the flames before the fire spread further, TNIE reported.
The incident is estimated to have caused losses of around ₹5 lakh, and police in Payyanur have registered a case and begun an investigation.
Kunhikrishnan condemned the attack, stating that the assailants appeared to have wrongly assumed Purushothaman supported him. He said Purushothaman had only attended a book release event and was, in fact, a CPM member. He further alleged that such incidents reflected the growing influence of what he described as a “political mafia” in the region and warned that more violence could occur.
In another incident in Payyanur, the compound wall of a Congress supporter named Rekha was damaged after she permitted campaign graffiti supporting Kunhikrishnan to be painted on it.
In Mayyil town, the Congress office, Gandhi Bhavan, was vandalised late on Thursday night by unidentified persons. The incident heightened tensions, with Congress leaders accusing CPM workers of involvement. A UDF booth agent, P Bhaskaran, was also assaulted, and his house attacked, in what was described as a coordinated act.
Kannur DCC president Martin George alleged that the CPM was resorting to the use of gangs out of fear of losing its strongholds. He also claimed that there had been widespread instances of bogus voting in Payyanur and Taliparamba constituencies.
Citing an example, George alleged that a vote had been cast in the name of Athira Krishnan, who is currently in Canada, and claimed that a former CPM councillor had facilitated it. He further alleged that similar incidents had occurred involving voters residing abroad and called on the Election Commission to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action.