Muslim League worker killed in post-poll attack in Kerala

Kannur: A Muslim League worker was hacked to death in the evening on Tuesday, the day of polling to the Kerala Assembly.

The victim Mansoor, 22, was killed around 8 pm at his home in Pullukkara, in Kuthuparambu assembly constituency, Kannur district, Kerala. The assailants entered his house and attacked after throwing bombs. The incident followed some incidents at the polling booth in Pullukkara Mukk, near Kuthuparamb.

His elder brother Muhsin, 27 was also seriously injured in the attack. When Muhsin was chatting with friends in the front yard of his house, the attackers arrived and created terror by throwing bombs. It was when the assailant group tried to stab Muhsin by dragging him that his brother Mansoor was hit. Though Mansoor was rushed to a local hospital and later to a higher facility private hospital in Kozhikode, he succumbed to the injuries.

Mansoor's mother and a woman neighbour, who both tried to prevent the attack, were also injured in the process. Mansoor's father Musthafa, related that his son was killed right in front of his eyes.

Muslim League circles alleged that the CPI-M was behind the attack. Shinos, a CPIM worker and a neighbour of the victim was later arrested for the killing. Subsequently Shinos was arrested and cases charged against 14 people in all.

As per the account of the injured Muhsin, a gang of about 20 people were involved in the assault who had originally targeted him and then they turned to Mansoor who had come to his rescue. As the neighbours rushed in, the culprits ran away but one of them was reined in by the people, and then in order to release him, the attackers threw bombs.

A huge police force has been deployed in the area.