When workers under the employment guarantee scheme in Kerala were clearing the bushes in a property which was vacant, a huge cache of arms and explosives were found which were later seized by the Dharmadam Inspector Sreejith.
The workers who had chanced upon the arms and explosives while they were working, alerted the police immediately. A force led by Dharmadam Inspector Sreejith defused the bombs using the expertise of bomb squads and seized the arms and explosives found.
Kizhakke Palayad, the area from which these arms and explosives were seized falls under Dharmadam assembly constituency, a Communist party stronghold represented by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who is also facing the heat due to the gold smuggling scandal.
This crucial development could not have come at a more delicate time as local body polls in Kerala are scheduled to be held in three phases on December 8, 10, and 14.
The seizure of arms and explosives has come to be seen as a serious security problem. It is noteworthy to mention that this is also the same place were the CPM had butchered a BJP, RSS worker Santhosh Kumar a few years ago.
The last few months have raised several questions on the functioning of the CPM due to several allegations made by central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency and Customs that busted the gold smuggling racket and unearthing several other indiscretions of the LDF government in the past few months.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan is in a bind as the states most powerful bureaucrat, M Sivasankar who was his Principal Secretary is in jail for his alleged involvement in the gold smuggling.
Also, the arrest of Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of CPM politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, in a drug trafficking and money laundering case that led to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan resigning from the post of CPM state secretary.
BJP candidate for the Kannur district panchayath from Pinarayi division, V Manivarnan said that the state police must act soon and said, ” CPM is trying to create an atmosphere of fear to prevent voters from casting their franchise by evoking murderous tactics and Kannur district that has witnessed to several blood baths initiated by the CPM in the past”.