Author: S. Chandrasekhar
Publication: Haindava Keralam
Date: July 31, 2006
URL: http://www.haindavakeralam.org/PageModule.aspx?PageID=1542&SKIN=K
Illicit spirit seized from CPM leader's house
In a continuing exposure of the CPM's links
with the illicit liquor trade in the state, 10,500 litres of spirit valued
at over one crore of rupees was seized by an excise team from the residence
of Sreekumari, wife of Bhaskaran, Alapuzha CPM district committee member and
president of Pathiyoor Panchayat. But the irony of the raid, conducted at
Meenatheril Devi Sadanam at Kariyilakunlangara near Kayamkulam in Alapuzha
district, was that the excise party led by Chengannur Circle Inspector Jayakumar
was brutally attacked by the CPM and DYFI men led by Ajikumar, Harikumar and
Manoj. Jayakumar, who was brutally hacked in the head, had to undergo a surgery
at Kollam by neuro-surgeons rushed from Thiruvananthapuram and is in a critical
stage. The other officials Suresh, Prasanth Soman Pillai and Asokan are also
in critical stages.
Kerala despite its several achievements, especially
in education and health care sector, has also certain dubious records to its
credit. It is the state with the largest number of suicides, family suicides,
molestation and rape of minor girls, thriving sex rackets and lastly the second-largest
consumer of liquor in India, next to Punjab. Since the supply chain cannot
meet with the demand, smuggled spirit is imported into the state from Tamil
Nadu/Karnataka and illicit liquor is manufactured. This multi-crore business
cannot survive without the political support and patronage and hence the spirit
mafia-police-politico nexus. The spirit mafia is one of the major suppliers
to the coffers of both the LDF and the UDF.
Earlier the support to the liquor mafia was
on the sly after the infamous Vypeen tragedy in the later part of eighties,
which killed scores. But during the CPM regime of 1996-2001, the link between
the party and liquor mafia became more explicit. In the aftermath of the Kalluvathickal
illicit liquor tragedy in which scores lost their lives and several their
eye-sight, an exemplary enthusiasm was allegedly visible on the part of the
then CM E.K. Nayanar's political secretary Sasi to shield the accused Manichan
and Hairunissa and to save them. It was a common knowledge that Nayanar's
wife used to go to Guruvayoor in Manichan's imported Benz car and that Nayanar's
son Krishnakumar and son-in-law were having business relations with Manichan.
Moreover, seeing the lucrative profits in the illicit liquor trade, many state
and local-level CPM leaders started head-on into the hooch business, kicking
away earlier benefactors.
With the CPM once again in power, local-level
CPM leaders have restarted their hooch business and the seizure of spirit
and attack on excise party is a sample of the events to be unveiled shortly.
Moreover, with group rivalry between V.S. and Pinarayi becoming more intense,
the excise department is flooded with calls from both groups giving information
on spirit hideouts of the rival faction. In fact, in this case, Bhaskaran
is a staunch Pinarayi loyalist and the grapevine has it that excise officials
were tipped off by V.S. men. With P.K. Gurudasan, being only one among the
two V.S. loyalists in the entire cabinet of 20 ministers, the Excise Minister,
the war between the CPM camps and their illicit liquor goons is only going
to increase. The opposition UDF (not saints either) and BJP have alleged that
the top guns of the CPM are involved in the hooch business and efforts are
on to make Bhaskaran and his wife scapegoats. They have demanded a high-level
probe by a DIG rank official. They also alleged that the son of a top CPM
leader is the kingpin of the spirit mafia and that the Police Circle Inspector
investigating the case is a relative of a top CPM functionary. Thus, every
effort is being made to water down the case.
Meanwhile, according to media reports, Kayamkulam
is becoming the nerve-centre of hooch business in South Kerala as per a report
of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), which is lying in cold storage
due to the politician-police-liquor mafia nexus. According to the reports,
seizures of spirit from cars belonging to CPM and UDF leaders have been a
regular feature in Alapuzha district.
The association of excise officers has said that repeated pleas for modernising
the force and issue of weapons have fallen on deaf ears. While they have only
lathis and dilapidated jeeps, the liquor mafia has new-generation vehicles,
communication equipments and modern weapons. They also alleged that they do
not get police help during raids and in certain cases police leak news of
raids to the liquor mafia.
With the Onam season fast approaching, in
which Kerala guzzles in lakhs of litres of liquor, let us hope and pray that
CPM's group war and the liquor mafia do not gift Kerala another Vypeen or
Kalluvathickal.
