The Aryavarth Express
Kannur (Kerala): A CPI(M) worker was critically injured on Tuesday after a bomb exploded while it was allegedly being manufactured near his residence in the Venduttayi area of Pinarayi in Kannur district, police said.
The injured has been identified as Vipin Raj, a CPI(M) activist, who sustained severe injuries to his palm in the explosion. The blast reportedly occurred during the preparation of a crude bomb, triggering panic among local residents.
Vipin Raj was immediately shifted to a private hospital in Chala, Kannur, where he is undergoing treatment. Police said the site of the explosion is located around five kilometres from the residence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Authorities have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and to determine whether others were involved in the bomb-making activity.
Police officials also revealed that Vipin Raj is an accused in several criminal cases, including a previous incident involving the bombing of a Congress party office near a canal in the area. His alleged involvement in earlier cases has once again highlighted concerns over the continued use of crude explosives in Kannur.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised the Centre’s proposal to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a Facebook post, the Chief Minister said the move to rename the scheme as VB-G RAM G — Viksit Bharat: Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) was aimed at undermining the core objectives of the employment guarantee programme.
Vijayan alleged that the proposal reflected ideological hostility towards Mahatma Gandhi and warned that the new bill could weaken the guarantee aspect of the scheme by allowing the Union government to predetermine annual allocations, thereby restricting states’ ability to respond to actual demand on the ground.
