Police-Media Nexus against CPI(M) Exposed

 

THE unholy alliance between police and corporate media has become a hot subject of debate in Kerala with fresh revelations about the nexus. The lies and half truths cooked up by the Special Investigation Team probing into the murder of RMP leader T P Chandrashekharan have been prominently used by the media to not only malign but create a social frenzy against the CPI(M).

The CPI(M) had approached the Kerala High Court questioning the leakage to media by the police about investigation into Chandrashekharan’s murder. It cited an earlier verdict of the same court denouncing such leakage. The court has served notices to the media houses and the government on the leakage of the details of the investigation. But in an affidavit submitted to the court, the government clarified that no news regarding the investigation has been leaked to the medial so far.

Even while this petition of the CPI(M) is pending before the court, new shocking revelations about the details of the mobile call records of investigative officers emerged. Deshabhimani, Malayalam daily, revealed the records of the mobile phone calls made by the investigative officers to media persons of various television news channels and newspapers in the last two months. The shocking information is that Josy Cherian, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)  in the Special Investigation Team has made 3000 odd calls to news reporters since the inception of SIT. In the time span from May 4 to July 8, the number of calls and messages made from Josy Cherian’s mobile phone is a surprising total of 7557. More than half of these calls were made to the journalists who were dealing with the stories regarding Chandrashekharan’s death. Josy Cherian has made these calls from his official phone. 

Apart from Josy Cherian, his colleague DSP Shoukath Ali, a former Youth Congress activist, also continuously made calls to particular media persons and received large amount of calls from the media persons. Josy and Shoukath Ali have become infamous for cooking up stories against CPI (M) and its leaders. According to a reporter, who wishes to remain anonymous, some media persons have even gifted mobile phones to these police officers exclusively for this purpose. 

Reporters from Asianet News Channel, Reporter TV, Manorama News, Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Madhyamam, Mangalam, Veekshanam were the main vehicles for this cooked up anti-CPI(M) stories planted in the media. With Deshabhimani exposing the call details, it has now become quite explicit that police –media axis is behind all anti-CPI(M) stories. It has also exposed the fact that the affidavit filed by the police in the high court is bogus.

  

P MOHANAN SUFFERS

BRUTAL TORTURE

In a shocking incident unheard of in recent political history of the state, a senior leader of CPI(M) P Mohanan, district secretariat member of CPI(M), has been brutally tortured by the Special Investigation Team investigating  into the murder of T P Chandrasekharan.  P Mohanan, who was arrested on June 29 while returning from a Party programme, revealed about the torture to the ten member team of legislators that visited him in the Vatakara police station lockup.

CPI(M) central committee member E P Jayarajan, state secretariat member Elamara Kareem and Kozhikode district secretary of the Party T P Ramakrishnan, who led the team, said in a press conference that the interrogation of Mohanan crossed all limits of civility. Police officers were using abusive language aimed at Mohanan’s wife K K Lathika, who is an MLA, and his daughter. This kind of mental torture is extremely condemnable, they said. SIT was resorting to  such inhuman acts in order to get Mohanan’s statement against prominent CPI(M) leaders. Later the CPI(M) leaders had a discussion with AIG Anup Kuruvilla John. Apart from these leaders, legislators A Pradeep Kumar, James Mathew, K K Lathika, K Dasan, M Kunjammad, Purushan Kadalundi, C Krishnan, K K Narayanan, and state committee members of the Party, N K Radha, P Satheedevi were in the team.

DSP Shoukath Ali, who is a former Youth Congress activist, has been frequently terrorising the CPI(M) leaders, including P Mohanan, in order to force them to make statements against state level leaders of CPI(M) in this case. Jayarajan charged the police of using Chandrasekharan murder case as a weapon against the CPI(M). It appears the police is under pressure to obey the orders of Mullappalli Ramachandran, union minister of state for home affairs and state home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, said E P Jayarajan. Kareem said that Mohanan was even denied proper bedding in the lockup.

K K RAGESH

MADE ACCUSED

In an apparent case of political vendetta, the UDF government appointed Special Investigation Team in charge of the investigation into T P Chandrasekharan’s murder has included CPI(M) state committee member K K Ragesh in the list of the accused. 

According to SIT, the charge against former SFI all India general secretary K K Ragesh is that he had given instructions to arrange shelter to P K Kunjanandan, the alleged mastermind of the murder. The SIT has also stated that the case against Ragesh has been registered on the basis of the statement given by Sarin Shashi, SFI Kannur district president who was arrested earlier and set free after interrogation. This is the first time a state committee member of the CPI(M) is being made an accused in this case.

Reacting to this development, K K Ragesh said that this is a clear case of political vendetta and personal feud. He failed to understand how a case being registered against a person who is undergoing ayurveda treatment for the last three weeks. He also said that he did not leave home except in unavoidable circumstances. He pointed out that this latest move of the police comes in the wake of a series of hate news by right wing media.

CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the new move of the police proves that the investigation into Chandrashekaran’s murder is being undermined by using it to crush the political opponents.

LOKAYUKTA SERVES

NOTICE TO CM

The Lokayukta has served a notice to chief minister Oommen Chandy and health minister Sivakumar following a petition questioning the back door appointment of a nurse in Regional Cancer Centre. Questioning the appointment of Flower Augustine, daughter of former KPCC member Augustine, to the post of Nursing Superintendent in RCC Thiruvananthapuram, a social activist, A Girish Kumar, had filed an appeal in the Lokayukta. 

“Flower Augustine, who was once fired from the service before her probation term, was appointed as the Nursing Superintendent through a wrong way, and the salary and other benefits were awarded to her for eight years -- a period during which she was not in the service”, stated Girish Kumar in his appeal. The notification regarding her appointment and payment was issued on May 12, 2012.  

Earlier Flower Augustine was appointed as the Nursing Superintendent in RCC in 1993. She went on leave in the probationary period itself and was dismissed from the service in 1994. A high court verdict against Flower over the dismissal was upheld by the Supreme Court also. In 2002, the UDF government re-appointed her on the condition that no benefits would be awarded. But a new order dated May 12 said that the benefits of this eight year period will be granted to Flower, the appeal stated.

Naked Dance of Evils; But Who Cares

The selective amnesia of the media in Kerala is a hot subject in alter media and social web sites. The right wing media which puts its weight on one and only subject of Chandrasekharan’s murder and further witch hunt of CPI (M) cadres never bothered other serious issues. The social websites like face book and twitter is became a hotbed of such sharp media criticism. Irrational approach of a section media which eulogize the UDF bosses for their attempt nab the CPI (M) leaders in a Chandrasekharan murder case and their unfriendly attitude towards the serious issues like price rise or criminalization of society or failure of law and order are being severely criticized by the social websites.

Front pages of few news papers on the day of March 26, which happened to be the anniversary of declaration of Political Emergency in India by Indira Gandhi, carried two shocking news from Thiruvananthapuram. The first was a murder of nineteen year old girl in broad day light and the second was an overnight destruction of a home by local Congress leaders in Aryanad a small hamlet in Thruvananthapuram. Another incident was taken place in the same night in the neighboring district Kollam, where a police constable was brutally killed by some unidentified assailants.
Thought the three incidents are the utter failure of law and the major media in the state keeping a blind eye on it. Frightening murder of Liji (19) was the taken place in Varkala, a place which attracts thousands of foreign and domestic tourists every year. Liji, a sale girl in a fancy store was hit by a motor cycle rode an eve teaser in the evening. Before hitting the bike the assailant tried to molest Liji and she took shelter in a house nearby. Assuming the assailant had gone, she left that home walked in direction of her own home. But worst thing has to come. The boy came in the bike and hit her. Though the police had reached the spot the assailant sped away. No arrest has been made so far. People under the banner of CPI (M) are started protest in Varkala demanding the immediate arrest of the assailant.

The epitome of criminalization of Congress politics has been exhibited in Aryanad, near Nedumangad in Thiruvananthapuram. Congress Leader and Bloc Panchayat Member Prabhasudan and this gang involved in real estate mafia have destroyed a house his neighbor Sanal Kumar in the same night. A huge excavator rolled on the small house of Sanal kumar who denied Prabhasudan’s order to vacate house. Prabhasudan, an influential congress leader was planning to attach the plots including that of Sanal Kumar. Prabhasudan and his gang brutally attacked Sanalkumar and family before destroying the house.

In the same night a criminal gang killed a police constable Manian Pillai while checking the vehicle in Oyur in Kollam. In the attack of unidentified assailants, Assistant Sub Inspector Joy was also injured. The criminals stabbed the policemen while they were being questioned in the National Highway. The policemen were questioning the persons who came in an omni van, as they behaved suspiciously and answered contradictorily.

These three incidents are seemed as the failure of maintaining Law and order in the state. But the media is not at all taken these issues with importance it deserves. They are still eager to maintain the momentum of their notorious anti CPI (M) posture for the last 50 odd days since the murder of Chandrashekharan, leader of so called Revolutionary Marxist party, a splinter group of expelled CPI (M) workers.

UDF Govt and Corporate Media Combine to Target CPI(M

FOR the last three weeks, the print and visual media in Kerala have been on a special ‘news’ mission. They have deputed ‘special’ journalists for coverage. Newspapers are devoting special pages and channels have special slots everyday apart from the lead stories for coverage of this ‘news’. Do not get confused that the media in Kerala has become sensitive on price rise issue or the recent petrol price hike or corruption or the resurgent farmer suicides in the state. You would be mistaken if you assume that this special coverage relates to the recent CAG report on Coal Gate, which leaves far behind the Rs 1.75 lakh 2G spectrum scam. These issues are not at all bothering them. For the mainstream media in Kerala, the tragic killing of former CPI(M) leader T P Chandrasekharan is foremost in their agenda now. They are using this unfortunate incident to wage an all-out attack on CPI(M) and the Left movement in the state. It is conducting a parallel ‘investigation and trial’ in order to incite public opinion against the Party.

Though the CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and Kerala state secretary Pinaryi Vijayan have already emphatically stated that it is not the policy of the CPI(M) to physically eliminate those who have disagreements with it. Vijayan has asserted that the Party has not endeavoured to murder anyone who had left the Party for political-organisational reasons. But the media is bent on taking an active ‘combing operation’ role to paint the CPI(M) workers as ‘accused’ in this case and consequently drive the public conscience against the Party. The police officers, who are notorious for their allegiance to the ruling Congress party, are continuously leaking ‘stories’ about their interrogation of the arrested CPI(M) workers and the media is publishing  the same as ‘confessional statements’.

The pattern is like this. First stories are planted in the media about persons who are connected to CPI(M) as having a hand in the killing. This is to create an ambience for the police actions which invariably follow in the form of arrests and torture of those arrested. So far a series of such arrests have been made. Even third degree torture methods were used by the police on the arrested CPI(M) leaders. CPI(M) Onchiyam area secretary and Non Gazetted Officers Association’s former general secretary C H Asokan and various area committee members are presently under police custody. This was made known by the arrested persons to CPI(M) state secretariat member and former industries minister Elamaram Kareem and CPI(M) MLA K K Lathika when they visited the sub jail in Vadakara.

Kareem said that the torture was similar to that of the victims of Emergency in the 1970s. “Padayamkandi Raveendran, a member of CPI(M) Onchiyam area committee showed us his bruised body. His ears and face were discolored and his fingers were battered due to the torture of the police,” said Kareem. They were even denied medicines. The brutal torture was made by the members of special investigation team to get the confessional statements to augment the script made by the political bosses. Raveendran had also revealed to the CPI(M) leaders that the story cooked up by the police and media about him is utterly malicious. On the day of Raveendran’s arrest, the media flashed that he had pointed out Chandrasekharan to the criminals who killed the latter. Raveendran had informed that he has not given any statement to this effect to the police, Kareem added.

In the meanwhile, C H Asokan, former general secretary of Non Gazetted Officers Association, the largest organisation of government employees in Kerala, has submitted bail application in the state High Court. Asokan, who was in judicial custody for a few days, submitted to the court that an industrialist who wanted to establish a water bottling plant in Vadakara is behind the murder of Chandrasekharan. A strike against the plant led by Chandrasekharan had resulted in personal vendetta. The industrialist has close contacts with the Congress leaders in the state. The arrest of CPI(M) workers is part of a malicious attempt to tarnish the image of CPI(M) in this area, he stated.

MASSIVE

PROTESTS
Accompanying the media witch hunt and police atrocities, there have been many physical attacks on the houses of the CPI(M) workers and Party offices in Onchiyam area. Miscreants from Congress, Muslim League along with Revolutionary Marxist Party workers have unleashed attacks on the CPI(M) workers with police remaining as mere spectators.

CPI(M) Kozhikode district committee organised a massive protest against the sinister attempt to implicate CPI(M) and against the attacks. A huge demonstration was held in front of the Superintendent of Police’s office in Vadakara, where the brutal torture of CPI(M) leaders is happening. Thousands of Party workers participated in the action.

The district committee has also decided to file a writ in the state High Court against the parallel media trial which is nothing but contempt of court. Party district secretary T P Ramkrishnan will file the writ citing the bogus reports on interrogation and leaking of news by the police. According to a verdict of High Court dated December 22, 2010, making news reports out of confessional statements would amount to contempt of court. The police should confine to submit the details of interrogation only in the court. Leaking of the details is punishable according the verdict. 

Even recently, on March 18, 2012, Congress goons brutally murdered 23 year old Aneesh Rajan who was vice president of SFI Idukki district committee. He was killed in Nedungandam, his native place. The Congress workers had unleashed vandalism and attacks against Tamil minority workers during the controversy over Mullaperiyar dam issue. The Tamil workers are activists of the CITU. Several women workers were targeted. Aneesh Rajan was on his way to tea estates to see the workers. The local Congress leaders pounced on him and brutally killed. Neither the police nor the ‘vigilant’ media have shown any interest to book the Congress leaders who perpetrated the dastardly crime.

Arrests, custodial torture and bogus confessional statements

For the last three weeks the print and visual media in Kerala depend on the same story. They depute special journalists’ team to cover the news. News papers giving special pages and channels give special slots everyday apart from the lead story. Do not confuse, the media in Kerala is sensitive on price rise the petrol price hike or corruption or farmers suicide in the state or on the CAG reports on Coal Gate which leaves behind 2G spectrum scam or the land allotment of Indira Gandhi International Air port in New Delhi. These issues are not at all bothering them. For the mainstream media in Kerala, a tragic killing of T P Chandrasekharan is foremost in their agenda to wage an all out attack on CPI (M) and left movement.

Disregarding the denial of CPI (M) on the involvement in the Killing, the media is holding a parallel trial to manipulate the public opinion against the party. Though the CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and State Secretary Pinaryi Vijayan has already stated that it is not the policy of Party to dispose off physically those who have disagreement and party has not endeavored to murder anyone who had left the party for political organizational reasons. But the media taking an active participation in the combing operation to hunt the CPI (M) workers in this case is driving public conscience against the party. The Police officers who are notoriously known for their allegiance to the Congress are continuously leaking the stories on interrogation and the media publishes it as the confessional statements of arrested CPI (M) workers. 

Prior to the arrests, the media announces some names of the persons mostly have the CPI (M) background to create an ambience to the police actions. So far a series of arrests have been made by the police. Those who were arrested by the police were terribly tortured. Even third degree torture measures were carried out by the police. CPI (M) Onchiyam Area Secretary and Non Gazetted officers association’s former General Secretary C H Asokan and various Area Committee members are under police custody. They were even denied medicines. 

A dubious and unholy nexus between Police and right wing media and their nefarious design to malign CPI (M) reached its peak in these days. First, the media predicts some names then police make arrests in the back drop of huge media reports. The same media is expert in maintain a selective amnesia on the attack on the houses of CPI (M) workers and party offices in Onchiyam area. Miscreants from Congerss, Muslim League along with Revolutionary Marxist Party workers are unleashed attack on CPI (M) workers in keeping Policemen as mere spectators. 

CPI (M) district committee had organized massive protests to the Police Superintend’s office in Vadakara, where brutal torture happening. Thousands of Party workers attended the marches. 

District Committee also decided to file a writ in High Court against the parallel media trial which is considered as contempt of court. District Secretary T P Ramkrishnan will file the writ citing the bogus reports on interrogation and leaking of news by the police as contempt. According to a verdict of High court dated December 22, 2010, making reports out of confessional statement is contempt of court. Police should confine to submit the details interrogation only in the court. Leaking of the details is punishable according the verdict.

T P Chandrasekharan/murder/Onchiyam

Conspirators Chuckle Behind 

The Curtain

As the grieve over the tragic murder of expelled CPI (M) leader and the founder of Revolutionary Marxist Party based in Onchiyam in Kozhikode T P Chandrashekharan continues, the vicious campaign to malign CPI (M) is seems to be a predictable  absurd drama.  The timing of the murder, some sudden reactions, pre planned media rhetoric and obviously some dubious silences too proves that something devious and scheming handiwork behind the gruesome murder.

Though the campaign against CPI (M) strengthens, a section of media and political observers in Print and visual media as well as in the cyber space opine that it is unthinkable that the CPI (M) will commit such a mistake in the eve of Neyyattinkara by election where a party legislator contesting as a Congress candidate  after submitting his resignation. It is widely believed that the murder committed by the killers who hired by the Congress bosses in the state to influence the voters. 

Ex Communist Berlin Kunjanandan Nair being greeted by jubilant Kerala  Chief Minister Oommen Chandi, KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala, Indian Union Muslim League Leader P K Kunjalikkutty in Kozhikode Town Hall, where the dead body of T P Chandrashekharan was laid for tributes. This photograph was taken soon after the body was taken to Chandrashekharan's home village.

 

Soon after the murder, CPI (M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the murder of T P Chandrashekharan. CPI (M) Central Committee member and Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan went to Kozhikode and paid tribute to the deceased leader. But the physical attack on CPI (M) workers in Onchiyam area is still continuing. Taking this an opportunity anti CPI (M) forces has ransacked many offices of CPI (M) and houses of party workers.

These incidents draw the memories Hemant Basu, former forward bloc leader and colleague of Netaji Subhas Chandrabose. In the 1970’s Hemant Basu’s murder was created a big hullaballoo in West Bengal. The right wing forces and the mainstream media accused CPI (M) over this murder, but when t the truth unearthed, the Congress activists were put behind the bars. This indictment on CPI (M) caused a nationwide protest against the party.  Exactly same episode repeats in Kerala in the name of T P Chandrashekharan’s death.

As the days passes, the suspicion over the involvement of UDF leaders gradually gets visible. A group of hired criminals, has committed the heinous crime in the night of May 4. A car ambushed on Chandrashekharan who rides a motorbike and chopped him off and more than 50 wounds were found in his body. His face was even defaced by the perpetrators. When the news broke out an army of UDF leaders reached Kozhikode. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had flown to Kozhikode cancelling the Chief Ministers Meeting on NCTC in New Delhi. Next turn was of a series of reaction like a chorus. Every UDF leader reacted in the same way accusing CPI (M) as per a pre planned script. The UDF leaders also accused that the CPI (M) leaders of Kannur worked behind this murder.

The media echoed this and contributed some ‘facts’ to stir the protest. The added that a Rafeeq a notorious criminal under suspicion, hails from Kannur, is a CPI (M) cadre and the Innova car hired by Rafeeq and his team was owned by Naveen Das a party sympathizer. With no delay these campaign back lashed on UDF. The stunning facts about Naveen Das’ family’s relation with Central Minister Vayalar Ravi revealed. The leaders clarified that Rafeeq has no connection with the party.

Recently a revelation of P Jayarajan, CPI (M) Kannur District Secretary made the UDF plank utterly defensive. Jayarajan accused that Government Chief Whip P C George had camped in Kannur and given quotation to the criminals. Jayarajan also reminded that George, who pulled the strings in the horse trade of CPI (M) MLA Selvaraj, had once said that there would be a new bomb is awaiting to blast before Neyyattinkara bypolls.

Fifth Minister: A precursor of demolition

An eleven month long waiting for the fifth minister is over. Now Manjalamkuzhi Ali, of Muslim League took oath along with newly elected legislator Anup Jacob of Kerala Congress (J) took oath as ministers. Ali formerly elected twice as CPIM independent candidate, who joined Muslim League in last year in the fag end of LDF rule, was offered ministerial post during the last Assembly election, but he had to wait till last week. Congress had put League’s demand in the back burner till the bye election in Piravam constituency.

A high sounding controversy erupted during this period on the issue of fifth minister. The sleeping communal lion slowly wakes up these days and the polity of Kerala clearly hears its roaring sound. The ruling United Democratic Front vertically divided upon the communal lines and its leaders were keep on accusing each other for communal appeasement. 

Fifth minister post was offered to Muslim League right from the beginning of UDF rule. But the Congress leaders tactfully evaded the pressure mounted by the Muslim League. When the discussions on this started, suddenly a huge protest started from Hindu organisations like Nair Service Society and Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana Sangham, both claim the authority of Nairs and Ezhavas respectively.

KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala and Congress leaders like K Muraleedharan and Electricity Minister Aryadan Muhammed, an ardent critic of Muslim League also expressed their feeling against appeasement of Muslim League. Kerala Congress leaders like K M Mani kept a strategic silence, by keeping an eye of upcoming vacancy for Rajya Sabha Seat.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is keen to maintain the balance of ever shaky UDF which sustains with the majority of just one seat, flown to Delhi and met Sonia Gandhi. Amid the repeated negations on the possibility of League’s fifth minister, it was announced that, Ali will take oath with Anup Jacob. The swearing ceremony was boycotted by UDF convenor P P Thankachan and Electricity Minister Aryadan Muhammed, since the issue was not discussed in the front.

As the allegation on the communal appeasement got vigourous, in a surprising move Chief Minister Oommen Chandy himself shed his home portfolio and appointed his lieutenant Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who belongs to Nair Community in order to pacify Hindu Communal feeling. But the Nair Service Society reacted that this is another mockery from the part of Oommen Chandy and they are not satisfied with home portfolio.

In another development, Electricity Minister Aryadan Muhammed expressed his willingness to quit on this issue. The wave made by this controversy is going to shake the very base of the UDF. Though every party in the ruling front needs this government should continue in the office, as most of its leaders is facing serious allegations and cases on corruption, they keep on asking for the share of the cake on their own communal lines.

This ugly sharing of seats and loud bargain for the posts on the basis communal feelings is just unheard of in the history of state. The constituents in the ruling Front, explicitly and viciously divided as the representatives of caste and religious forces. In past years of UDF was engaged this kind of sharing but, it was not at all explicit like this time. The main casualty of this controversy is the communal amity of the state. One can easily identify this trend in the UDF rule, as nothing but Ghettoisation.