Bomb hurled at CPI(M) office in Kerala

CPI(M) accuses Congress of attacking party headquarters in Kerala

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R A bomb was allegedly hurled at the AKG Centre, the headquarters of the CPM in Thiruvananthapuram during the late hours of Thursday.

There are no casualities, and it is suspected that the attack was a result of the ongoing tussle between the parties. From CCTV footage, a person on a scooter can be seen hurling something at the gate before fleeing the spot. "A strong bomb was hurled. It is a terror attack organised by the Congress," said LDF Convener E.P.Jayarajan, who claims to have reached the Centre on being alerted about the attack, told mediapersons. Senior CPM leader PK Sreemathi, who was reportedly upstairs claims to have heard a loud noise and saw smoke in front of the gate.

A Vijayaraghavan said an attack on the AKG Centre is provocative as the venue is "special for the CPM in Kerala". According to party workers at the spot, the explosive was a countrymade bomb and it was hurled at the main gate around 11.30pm.

The culprits had helmets on, and the number of the two-wheeler wasn't clear on the CCTV footage. The police are working towards identifying the assailants. It is alleged that there was a security lapse which resulted in the incident, as the police and the intelligence couldn't avert it. The dog and bomb squads have already examined the spot and CCTV footages from the nearby buildings have also been collected.

Meanwhile, Minister Antony Raju, who was at the scene, said that it cannot be termed a security lapse. "This is a deliberate attempt to disrupt peace in Kerala," he said. The security cover of all major party offices, the Assembly and Seretariat buildings has been tightened in the light of the incident.

Meanwhile, the Indira Gandhi statue near the main post office in Allapuzha was damaged allegedly by the DYFI, following the AKG Centre attack. The DYFI was reportedly protesting the Thiruvananthapuram incident under the leadership of James Samuel, around 1a.m and they also blocked the National Highway near the General Hospital.