Public outrage erupted on to the road over the failure of the police in preventing the twin murder that took place at Pothundi, near Nenmara, in the district on Monday.
The Opposition targetted the government for the police failure. The Youth Congress took out a march to Nenmara police station on Tuesday, leading to a scuffle with the police.
Tension was eased with the intervention of Rahul Mamkootathil, Youth Congress State president and MLA of Palakkad. Mr. Mamkootathil accused the police of preparing the ground for the twin murder.
Chenthamara, 58, an accused on bail in the murder of his neighbour Sajita in 2019, on Monday killed her husband Sudhakaran and his mother Lakshmi using a machete. Sudhakaran and several others had complained to the police a couple of weeks ago following a threat from Chenthamara, but the police did not take it seriously.
Mr. Mamkootathil said that if it was Chenthamara who committed the murder, the arrangement for it was done by the station house officer (SHO) of the Nenmara police station. “The police should explain why they let go the murder accused even after there was a mass complaint against him,” he said.
“The government now says it will protect Sudhakaran’s little children. If the government had been serious, their father and grandmother would not have been murdered like their mother,” said Mr. Mamkootathil.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that the twin murder exemplified the failure of the policing system in the State. “The police must answer for failing to take action against the murder accused who was a threat,” he said, adding that the State had never witnessed such a lawless situation before. He demanded that the government compensate the family immediately and take over the protection of the orphaned children.
The inquest report showed how brutal and cold-blooded the twin murder was. There were eight deep slashes on Sudhakaran’s body and his right arm was severed. A hack on the back of his head was apparently lethal. His mother Lakshmi’s body bore 12 gashes, including one particularly severe wound that stretched from her eye to her ear.
Their bodies were brought to their house at Pothundi on Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of people paid them a tearful farewell. The funeral took place at a public cemetery.
Published – January 28, 2025 07:47 pm IST