Former Kerala home minister gets death threat, told to leave country

Radhakrishnan was the state home minister when Chandrasekharan, a rebel communist leader, was hacked to death in 2012.

Former Kerala home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, a sitting Congress legislator from Kottayam, received an anonymous letter on Wednesday, threatening to eliminate him and his family members if they didn’t leave the country in 10 days. Police are investigating the threat.

Radhakrishnan is a senior Kerala Congress leader and sitting Kottayam MLA. He served as state’s home minister during the Congress rule. (Photo Courtesy- Twitter)

The senior leader said the letter, written in Malayalam, was mailed to the MLA hostel, where he stays. He surmised that the language suggested the letter was written by someone from north Kerala. “It said I will be targeted for including more names in [the] criminal list. It seems it could be a move from some of the accused in T P Chandrasekharan murder case,” the MLA said.

Radhakrishnan was the state home minister when Chandrasekharan, a rebel communist leader, was hacked to death by a group owing allegiance to the CPI (M) in 2012. Many accused in the case were convicted and jailed.

“I have no other enemies. I heard some of the accused in TP murder case are on parole now. Let the police investigate it,” he said.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan, state Congress chief K Sudhakaran and former chief minister Oommen Chandy have sought detailed investigation into the threat.

T P Chandrasekharan’s widow K K Rema has been elected to the new assembly with Congress party’s support.