Cong. booth agent Padmanabhan’s house also comes under attack

A crude bomb was hurled at the house of K.J. Shalat of Pilathara, whose vote had been cast by someone else at a polling booth at Pilathara in the April 23 election, in the early hours of Monday.

Ms. Shalat had drawn media attention when she came to the same booth (No. 19) during the repolling on May 19 to cast her vote. Her house suffered damage in the explosion.

The house of Congress booth agent V.T.V. Padmanabhan, situated near her house, also came under bomb attack around the same time. Windowpanes and plants were damaged in the explosion.

“We woke up hearing a loud sound of explosion. On examination, we found that the windowpanes have broken and plants damaged,” said Binu Sebastian, husband of Ms. Shalat.

He said the police team that reached the spot immediately told them that it was a powerful steel bomb. A few police personnel were posted there in view of the threat.

Commotion

Booth 19 had witnessed some commotion on May 19 when local Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers opposed mediapersons approaching Ms. Shalat for taking her reaction. The police helped her return home safely.

The Left Democratic Front had lodged a complaint to the Returning Officer against United Democratic Front candidate in the Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency Rajmohan Unnithan for talking to Ms. Shalat while she was standing in the queue to vote. The LDF alleged that Mr. Unnithan violated the election code by seeking vote inside the booth.

District Congress Committee president Satheeshan Pacheni alleged that CPI(M) workers were behind the attacks.

Alleging that the CPI(M) had turned bomb-making into a cottage industry here, he said that the bomb attacks exposed the CPI(M)’s frustration over its inability to cast bogus votes during the repoll on Sunday. He also visited the houses of Ms. Shalat and Mr. Padmanabhan.

Chennithala flays attack

Leader the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the CPI(M) had unleashed violence against the two in order to conceal its awkwardness at being exposed for its workers casting bogus votes.