The unabated violence allegedly involving ruling CPI-M and BJP-RSS workers claimed two more lives on Friday, taking the toll in the sporadic attacks since Wednesday to six in and around Thalassery near Kannur as shoot-at sight orders were issued to rein in troublemakers.
CPI-M worker Aneesh (32) was murdered allegedly by BJP workers at Puthur near Panoor this morning, while in an apparent retaliatory attack, K Suresh Babu (38) of BJP was stabbed to death by a group of suspected CPI-M activists near Kodiyeri around 11.30 am, police said.
Kerala Director General of Police Raman Srivastav, who held an emergency meeting with top district and police officials in Kannur to discuss the situation, told reporters that police had been ordered to shoot-at-sight those perpetrating violence.
The situation in and around Thalassery, 22 km from here, continued to remain tense.
In a fresh flare up of political violence in this sensitive district, two BJP workers and a CPI-M activist were killed in attacks allegedly by rival partymen in Thalassery on March 5, while a RSS-BJP supporter was murdered near Kuthuparamba on Thursday.