Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan justified the CPI(M) leaders’ visit to the house of the accused in the Panoor bomb blast case, stating that it was an act of humanity and should not be politicized.
One of the accused, CPI(M) supporter Sheril, was killed when the bomb exploded accidentally while making it. The CPI(M) leaders later visited his house to pay their last respects and led the funeral rites. When this became a huge controversy, the Chief Minister personally came with a justification.
The CPI(M), who claims to be against any anti-social or terrorist activities, found itself in a defensive position when its support for those involved in bomb-making became a subject of discussion. Allegations arose that the Chief Minister tried to shield his party workers and silence critics by offering a strange explanation during the press conference. Despite Panoor being a CPI(M) stronghold, the Chief Minister maintained that he had no knowledge of, or connection with the bomb making activities there.
“Bomb-making is unacceptable and will be met with decisive action. However, attending the funeral of a person who died while making a bomb is not taboo; it is a humanitarian gesture to pay respects to the deceased and console their relatives,” said Pinarayi Vijayan. The Chief Minister clarified to the media that he disagrees with the area secretary’s suggestion that there was a lack of vigilance.
CPI(M) State Secretary MV Govindan also made a strange claim that the DYFI leader arrested in the case is innocent. It is a false propaganda that CPI(M) is making bombs to carry out violence, he said. He claimed that the arrested DYFI worker is the one who led the rescue operation during the explosion and that he was misrepresented. Govindan asserted that the party had no role in the Panoor blast.
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