Explosion in CPM’s Bomb Factory in Kannur: Several CPM workers injured

An explosion took place at an illegal bomb-making factory at Kadirur panchayat in Kannur. The incident happened at around 1.30 PM on Friday. The explosion took place at the village panchayat of Kadirur, a citadel of the Communist Party of India -Marxist (CPI-M). Three members of the CPIM are grievously injured in the explosion. One of them also includes an accused in the TP Chandrashekhar murder case who was later exonerated by the court.

As per the police statement, the injured are  Azhiyur Kallaroth Raneesh (32),  Sajilesh ( 30) and Neeraj (28)

Reports suggest that the explosion has completely shattered away from the palms of the two workers who were making the steel bombs in the makeshift tent, located near Ponniam Bridge at Choola Road . The injured were rushed to the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital for treatment.

Thalassery DYSP Moosa Vallikkadan is leading the investigation. The blast has embarrassed the ruling CPIM party at a time when District collector T V Subhash had called an all-party meeting, just a day before this incident, to end the increasing political violence in the district. Kannur Sp Yatheesh Chandra visited the place.

The police team has also recovered 12 steel bombs from the makeshift tent. The police said there were 6 people in the tent during the time of the explosion.

The CPIM party machinery along with its youth wing DYFI  has been on an aggressive mode ever since the double murder of their cadres in Venjaramoodu last Sunday, a day before the festival of Thiruvonam. There have been numerous reports that pointed Congress workers’ hands in the murdeṛ.

In reaction, the party had vandalised multiple congress offices across the state including Kannur.  The party had commemorated a black day across the state to mark their protest in the gruesome murder.

District of Kannur, which is known for its political rivalries had become sensitive zones of conflict. An unconfirmed report says the accidental blast at the illegal bomb-making factory suggests that the party might have been preparing for the retaliatory strike to avenge the double murder.

Raneesh is reported to be the 28th accused in the TP Chandrashekhar murder. Chandrashekhar a local leader of a breakaway group of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) posthumously shot to national prominence after he was hacked to death by members of CPIM on 4 May 2012.

With panchayat elections scheduled in November, the incident raises concerns about the issue of safety and security during elections.