Even after the police arresting all the accused in the murder of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) leader Jithin Shaji in Perunad, the political controversy surrounding the incident shows no signs of cooling down.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham reiterated on Tuesday that the murder was a political killing, insisting that the accused had close ties with Sangh Parivar organisations. He also acknowledged that two of the accused, Sumith and Midhun Madhu, were briefly associated with the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M).
Criminal gang
According to Mr. Abraham, all the accused were members of a criminal gang led by Vishnu, the prime suspect in the case. “Two of them joined the DYFI briefly in 2023, but we cut ties with them once we realised that they were still connected to a drug mafia. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cannot wash its hands of this murder as the people of Perunad are well aware of the political affiliations of the accused,” he said.
Claims dismissed
He said Nikhilesh, another accused, was an “RSS criminal” and dismissed claims by Nikhilesh’s mother that her son was associated with the CITU. “We don’t know the circumstances under which she made that statement,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, mocked the CPI(M)‘s stance, accusing the party of desperately trying to create a martyr. “Jithin Shaji was a victim of the internal conflicts in the CPI(M) in Perunad. It’s common practice for them to label anyone killed due to internal disputes as a martyr and then shift the blame to the BJP. We saw the same tactic after the murder of Sandeep, the party’s local secretary in Peringara, two years ago,” said V.A. Sooraj, Pathanamthitta district president of the BJP.
Jithin Shaji, a 33-year-old CITU worker, was stabbed to death around 10 p.m. on Sunday while trying to intervene in a clash involving one of his relatives and the assailants. The CPI(M), which initially labelled the incident as a political killing, faced major embarrassment after reports emerged suggesting that some of the accused had links to the Left party. Both the police and the victim’s family had denied any political motive for the murder.
Published – February 18, 2025 06:55 pm IST
