BJP TODAY

May 16--31, 2003 - Vol. 12, No. 10

Kerala converted into terrorist hub
BJP demands judicial and CBI probe
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's statement

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said that Kerala under the Congress Party-led UDF government was being converted into a hub of terrorist activities and the Friday (May 2) evening's killing of nine persons, mainly RSS/BJP activities, was a manifestation of that. The party demanded a high-level judicial inquiry and a CBI probe into the entire Marad (Khozikode) massacre besides urging the Centre to rush a Home Ministry team to ascertain the full facts.

Strongly reacting to the terrorist-killing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP activists at the Marad beach of Calicut (Kozhikode) district in Kerala, BJP General Secretary and spokesperson Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, in a statesman, said that the indiscriminate killing of the Hindu fisherman at the hands of terrorists was a direct result of the protection to the separatist and anti-national forces being provided by the Congress Party and the Muslim Legue in coalition in Kerala.

"This is the first time that this type of an extremist attack has been reported from Kerala. The BJP is deeply concerned over the developments as there is widespread reports of Kerala's Congress government patronising and encouraging not only anti-socials but also separatist and secessionist forces in the State. We demand a high-level judicial enquiry and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe to unearth the unholy faces behind the conspiracy of these killings so that the State would be saved from further bloodshed and lawlessness," Mr. Naqvi said.

The gruesome attack was one-sided and totally unprovoked, Mr. Naqvi said, adding that, armed with lethal weapons some extremists attacked indiscriminately RSS/BJP people killing nine person (including a Muslim bystander) and injuring 20 others on the Marad beach. The victims are mainly fishermen and were relaxing on the beach after fishing on Friday evening when they were indiscriminately attacked.

Even mediapersons rushing to the scene were waylaid by miscreants and intimidated, Mr. Naqvi said.

Mr. Naqvi alleged that extremist groups such as the SIMI, NDF and PDP were getting wide support and encouragement from the Muslim League and the Congress Party under Antony's government and demanded of the State government to act firmly and decisively against the extremist forces before it was too late.

The communal tension was on the rise in Kerala since the inception of the present Congress-led UDF government, the BJP spokesperson said and added that there were several incidents of communal trouble and violence reported for quite some time in the State but the latest development was unprecedented for it was pre-planned, indiscriminate, unprovoked and a terrorist type operation.