VHP member arrested for hurling petrol bomb at CPI(M) headquarters in Coimbatore

The attack was meant to be a response to the tensions between members of Communist party and RSS leaders in Kerala.

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A 31-year-old yoga instructor, who belongs to the right wing outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), was arrested on Wednesday, in connection to the hurling of petrol bombs on the Coimbatore headquarters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Saravana Kumar, an engineering graduate from Mettupalayam, had hurled petrol bombs at the CPI(M) office at Gandhipuram on June 17. He and his accomplice came to Gandhipuram on a bike and hurled two petrol bombs and then raced off towards Mettupalayam again. While there were no casualties, a car which was parked outside the premises was reportedly damaged. Since then, a search has been underway to find the culprits.

According to the police, the attack was meant to be a response to the tensions between members of the Communist party and RSS leaders in Kerala. "He is a member of the VHP and just wanted to create panic here. He is being very adamant and not revealing who the other person with him was and if he was acting alone or at the behest of the VHP's orders," Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) S Lakshmi, told TNM.

The city police examined footage from over 200 CCTV cameras to trace the two men. "They were wearing helmets and so we couldn't see their faces. In addition to this , the bike was new and had no registration number," says the DCP. "But CCTV footage showed that the bike went up to this man's area in Mettupalayam. We enquired with showrooms nearby if anyone had bought a bike like this and it led us straight to him," she adds