Body of accused in IUML worker death case found hanging from tree in Kerala
Kannur, Apr 9: An accused in the recent killing of a Youth League activist in a post-poll clash allegedly between workers of the CPI(M) and the IUML, was on Friday found dead in an isolated area at Valayam in Kerala, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Ratheesh Kooloth (36), a Panoor native, they said.
"Some locals informed the police about the body of an unidentified person found hanging from the tree. We circulated his photograph and found that he was an accused in the IUML worker death case," a police official told PTI.
Youth League member Mansur (22) was killed when a group of people waylaid him and his brother Muhsin, a UDF poll agent, near their home. They hurled bombs at the duo before attacking Mansur with sharp weapons on April 6, witnesses had said.
Police said Ratheesh, a neighbour of the deceased IUML worker, was absconding.
Police have already arrested Shinos in the case.
The state police had on Thursday handed over the case to the district crime branch and a 15-member team had initiated probe into the incident.
IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty earlier said that his party lacked confidence in the probe team.
While the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has alleged that the ruling CPI(M) was behind the killing of Mansur, the Left party dismissed the charge and asserted that it was not a political murder.
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EC will leave no stone unturned to hold free, fair elections in West Bengal: CEC Kumar
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday asserted that the Election Commission will leave no stone unturned in holding free, fair and transparent polls in West Bengal where the first phase of voting is scheduled to be held on April 23.
Interacting with officials involved in poll management, the CEC said the elections will be fear-free, violence-free and intimidation-free.
Officials said the poll authority will ensure elections are also inducement-free and "booth jamming free".
No employee of the state government, local bodies or autonomous bodies will be allowed to influence the electoral process, they said.
The ruling TMC in the state has accused the EC of playing in the hands of the BJP, a charge vehemently rejected by the election watchdog.
The EC and the TMC have also been at loggerheads over the special intensive revision of voters' list with the party accusing the poll authority of deliberately disenfranchising voters to benefit the BJP. Both the EC and the BJP have rejected the charge while dubbing it as baseless.
The second phase of voting in West Bengal will be held on April 29 and votes will be counted on May 4.
