A meeting of the Janakeeya Vikasana Munnani (popular development front) led by the Jamaat-e-Islami was attacked allegedly by a group of CPI (M) activists at Kakkodi in Kozhikode on June 13. Jamaat political secretary Hameed Vanimel and at least 14 others, including policemen, were injured in the attack on the meeting held in the Panchayat Community Hall.
About 50 persons stalled the meeting in which hundreds of people, including women and children were in attendance. The attackers destroyed several vehicles parked outside the meeting venue. Those injured have been admitted to the Medical College Hospital in Calicut and a private hospital.
The meeting of the newly-formed alliance of the Janakeeya Vikasana Munnani led by the Jamaat-e-Islami prior to the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections began at around 3.30 pm.
Hameed Vanimel inaugurated the meeting and V Salih presented the document on the proposed development plan for the Panchayat. A group of people in the hall got up when Pramod Shameer was speaking at around 5 pm. When the president of the meeting said that there was no question-answer session in the agenda of the programme, those who had got up began to attack JIH workers. More people came in from outside and broke chairs and mikes.
A small group of police were on security duty when the meeting had begun. More policemen came after the group had left the venue that had witnessed attackng for about 15 minutes.
The organisers of the meeting have filed a complaint with the police. The police have registered a case against nearly 50 persons, members of the CPI (M).
The leaders including Mr Vanimel and Solidarity district president Razaq Paleri as well as the women in the hall were brought outside with police aid by 6 pm. Ten people have been admitted in hospitals and seven vehicles were destroyed by the attackers.
Jamaat-e-Islami and the Janakeeya Vikasana Munnani have blamed the CPI (M) for the attack.
A bus of policemen had reportedly reached the place before the meeting began; and it is said that the police had prior information of the attack but did not inform the organisers of the meeting.
The Popular Front of India district president KP Muhammed Ashraf condemned the CPI (M) attack on the meeting of the Janakeeya Vikasana Munnani. “The attack on people and vehicles at the same time shows that the attack was pre-planned. The CPI (M) should end its fascist style,” he said.
“The CPI (M) attack on the leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami is a bad mark on Kerala,” opined SDPI state president Adv KP Muhammed Shareef.
Muslim League, Congress, Janata Dal, and many individual activists have also condemned the attack.