The party politics in Kannur sometimes go beyond the control of the leaders and police. In connection with the Pariyaram medical college administrative election, this northern Kerala city, once again turned to be a place of violence. 

Former ministers, M.V. Raghavan and K. Sudhakaran were arrested yesterday. This lead to widespread protests from UDF workers across the city. Many vehicles including K.S.R.T.C buses were attacked. Workers from both sides had war of words and clashes in the city. 

Kannur has been a district with political sensitivity since many years. But it is noticed that whenever CPM rules the state, Kannur witnesses political vandalism in its most ugly form. UDF leaders say the CPM was hijacking the election and many of the UDF workers could not vote. In protest to this, UDF convener P.P. Thankachan called for a hartal today. 

The poll results were announced in the evening and CPM lead protection council, got 12 out of 12 in the fray. 

Former chairman of Pariyaram Medical college administration M.V. Raghavan says that he would approach judiciary for justice on the matter. KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala has also alleged the CPM for crushing the democratic values. 

Election for co-operative institutions has been widely misused by power for a long time now. With the help of district administration and police, political parties hijacked the voting and did various malpractices including the use of fake identity cards. 

UDF alleged that before UDF workers could enter the polling station, there were many on the other side waiting for their turn with fake identity cards. This is a serious allegation and inquiry should be conducted about this allegation.  

Being the ruling party, CPM should respect the democratic principles and ensure smooth environment for a free and fair election. Otherwise it is meaningless to claim an election victory. 

Kannur is a politically sensitive district. Even minor incidents may lead to widespread violence .Many innocent people have to pay for this kind of politics. There were many such incidents before. Many precious lives were lost during political clashes. 

UDF can challenge in court if anything had gone wrong in yesterday’s poll. They should maintain political tolerance and wait for the court verdict. This would be a sign of better democratic discipline...