The undesirable and unsightly

Many people would be shocked to learn that, in a state like Kerala, election-related deaths caused by unimportant matters might result in fatalities.

But violence is engrained in the state’s politics, particularly in north Malabar. The police there have enormous challenges during every election, and they must remain vigilant in order to maintain peace and order in areas where violence is a problem.

But sometimes, no matter how hard they try, things go out of hand. One such instance was the assembly elections that took place on March 23, 1987.

It was an ordinary day at first. But all went awry as a fight broke out between CPM and Congress employees at a Kayyar polling place. Things became tense. A stabbing murdered Plantholi Krishnan, a Congress booth agent.

The murder’s news spread like wildfire. Workers for the Congress gathered at Cheemeni Town, which is regarded as the party’s heartland. Later, according to the documents at the Cheemeni police station, “some anti-social elements and Congress (I) sympathisers rushed to the CPM office at Cheemeni town with deadly weapons, continuously pelting stones at the office.” About forty CPM party members were reportedly present close to the office.

“They locked the windows and doors as they ran inside. However, according to police records, some severe anti-social individuals who were among the irate Congress (I) employees gathered dry grass from the area, put it close to the office, and lit it on fire with gasoline. There was a fire in the office. When CPM employees attempted to flee, the throng attacked them with lethal weapons.

According to the documents, “Five CPM workers—Alavalapil Ambu, Kunhappan, C Koran, M Koran, and Kunhikannan—were brutally murdered on the spot.”

Violence soon broke out in areas like Thimiri, Cheruvathur, and Chebrakanam. A police station was established in Cheemeni after the event. The Congress claims that within three years, the CPM killed each of the three people who were reportedly engaged in the violence—M M Jose, K P Surendran, and Abraham—one by one.

The state was startled in 1995 when V Dasan, the Congress block president at Anthoor panchayat in Kannur, was killed after the local body elections.

In opposition to the CPM, Dasan had nominated candidates in every ward of the panchayat. An inconceivable deed. At that time, the CPM had an absolute majority in the municipal body, and no party dared to challenge it. Two months after the elections, Dasan was killed, reportedly by CPM employees.

In Kerala, there have also been isolated reports of booth capture.

Compared to the northern states, booth capturing crimes are quite uncommon in Kerala. Retired SP Subhash Babu N remembered, “We had one similar occurrence in Thalassery taluk during the local body elections in 2000.

Re-polling had been mandated at booths within the jurisdiction of the police stations in Panur, Kolavallur, and Koothuparamba. The stations were placed under the supervision of three SPs: myself, Ajith Kumar, and Vijay Sakhare. Panur Station was under my jurisdiction. Workers from the CPM staged a large-scale protest march to the Mokeri polling place, during which they threw explosives at us. We were forced to fire people. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, according to Subhash.

Alexander Jacob, a retired IPS officer who worked in Malabar as an ASP and DIG, said that the police are unable to break this cycle of violence on their own.

“I had proposed a number of remedies in my report, including the creation of jobs, to address the problem. Youths without jobs were often the ones who used political violence, he said.

This Lok Sabha election has been calm. Up until April 5, when a device detonated during production at Panur. Memories of political violence suddenly flooded back, including the killings of Sarathlal, Shukkur, Kripesh, Shuhaib, and T P Chandrasekharan.

“There is no question that the explosives were intended to harm the political opponents of the CPM. Since RSS is no longer the CPM’s enemy, they may be UDF leaders or workers, according to UDF candidate for Vadakara LS Shafi Parambil. He said that whilst Congress relies on its constituents, the CPM uses explosives.

CPM, which was on the defensive after the Panur incident, had an opportunity to strike UDF earlier this week when an explosion at Mudavanthery in Nadapuram, Kozhikode, destroyed a vehicle. According to reports as of right now, the firecrackers that were stored inside the vehicle burst. Police are still looking into this, however.

However, LDF election committee leader Valsan Panoli said that the explosive was intended to sabotage the nonviolent electoral process. Recalling the 2010 bomb at Narikkatteri in Nadapuram that claimed the lives of five IUML workers, Valsan called for a thorough investigation into the most recent event.

There is no doubt about that. The Panur bomb has drastically altered the nature of campaigning in north Malabar, with parties prioritizing matters pertaining to violence above all other concerns.

REMEMBER THE APP

A voter has to be educated in order to make an informed decision during the Lok Sabha elections, regardless of their political beliefs. Finding a reliable source of information online may be challenging given the current digital landscape, where phony and authentic information can be found with a few clicks. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released a number of smartphone applications, which TNIE mentions in order to facilitate voters’ research before April 26 election day.

Know Your Candidate (KYC)

gives voters the opportunity to discover the criminal histories of the politicians running in their district. It also enables the provision of details on the nature of the alleged offense and the case’s present state. You may download the candidates’ affidavits and nominations as well.

How to apply

Get it from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play.

Decide which Lok Sabha seat to represent.

Find potential applicants

C VIGIL

allows voters to file complaints about the Lok Sabha elections, including any infractions committed by parties or candidates under the Model Code of Conduct. After receiving the complaint, the ECI guarantees to take action within 100 minutes.

How to apply

Get it from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play.

Give your phone number and OTP.

Using the app, capture a picture or video of the infraction, then submit it within five minutes to file a complaint.

The location is automatically detected by the app.

Saksham Mobile App

offers specialized assistance to individuals with disabilities (PwDs). Its features include: text-to-speech for the deaf and blind; voice assistance for the visually impaired; accessibility features like large fonts and high contrast; information on polling places, including their location and poll workers’ contact information; and a complaint portal for people with disabilities.

How to apply

Get it from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play.

Name, address, and phone number should be provided.

Select the assembly constituency, district, and state.

Voter assistance line

has an easy-to-use interface that enables people to submit the forms in a few quick steps. The purpose of the app is to provide voters nationwide a single point of contact and information delivery. Voters may use the app to, among other things, look for their name on the electoral roll, register or amend their voter registration, download their voter slip with a digital picture, make complaints, and get news and updates about upcoming elections.

How to get started

Get it from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play.

Log in with the phone number

Provide the voter’s contact information and sign up.

only for representatives

ESMS

When the Model Code of Conduct is in effect, the ESMS mobile app is utilized to digitize data for intercepted or confiscated things (cash, booze, narcotics, precious metal, freebies, and other items) straight from the field. States and election authorities alone may use this.

Panur blast: Cong requests help from the EC

The Congress has asked the Election Commission to step in and seek a CBI investigation into the April 5 bombing at Panur in the Vadakara seat. KPCC interim president M M Hassan expressed his worries about the whole scenario in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, he said during a news conference here on Friday.