Idukki, 04 July (H.S.): CPM leader and former Kerala minister M.M. Mani has stirred controversy with remarks suggesting that those responsible for the 2018 murder of SFI leader Abhimanyu would not have been spared had the killing taken place outside Ernakulam's Maharaja's College.

Speaking at an Abhimanyu remembrance meeting held recently at Vattavada in Idukki district, Mani said Abhimanyu, who had gone to Ernakulam to pursue higher education, was brutally murdered. Recalling the incident, he asserted that the CPM has never allowed those responsible for killing its martyrs to escape without facing consequences.

Those who deserved to be beaten were beaten. Those who had to be dealt with were dealt with, Mani said during his speech.

He added that it was unfortunate that Abhimanyu was killed at Maharaja's College in Ernakulam. Had the murder taken place elsewhere, we would not have spared any of them. That is certain, he said. Mani further remarked that although the criminal case was continuing, the party had not forgotten the incident. Let it remain in our account. The case is there, of course, he said.

Abhimanyu, a native of Vattavada in Idukki district, was an SFI activist and a student of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. He was fatally stabbed on July 2, 2018, during clashes on the college campus. The murder triggered widespread outrage across Kerala and led to a high-profile investigation.

The prosecution later chargesheeted several accused allegedly linked to the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and its student wing, Campus Front, in connection with the murder. The trial in the case is continuing.

Mani's remarks are expected to trigger political reactions, with opposition parties likely to question the implications of his comments while the Abhimanyu murder case remains before the courts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman