A bomb blast caused the death of a person and severe injuries to another individual on Friday near Panur in Kerala's Kannur district has sparked a political controversy in the state.
The Congress and the BJP have accused the CPI(M) of being responsible for the blast, while the Left party has denied any involvement in the incident.
According to the police the blast took place around 1 am and the opposition Congress have alleged that it was during the manufacturing of country-made bombs by some CPI(M) supporters.
Meanwhile, the BJP accused the Left party of trying to create terror by using bombs.
Death in the blast
The deceased individual has been identified as Sherin who was a resident of Kaivelikkal. Sherin was brought to a a private hospital in Kozhikode with severe injuries but passed away while receiving medical treatment.
The police report states that Vineesh, the other injured individual, is in a critical condition and has lost one of his palms.
What did ruling CPI(M) say?
The ruling CPI(M) has refuted the allegations and stated that the two individuals involved in the incident were also accused of assaulting members of the Left party. As a result, they are no longer considered to be affiliated with the political organization.
The CPI(M)'s Panoor area committee, in a statement, also said that while the Left party has been trying to maintain peace, its political opponents are deliberately spreading "propaganda" that the injured were party workers to mislead the people.
How did BJP react?
Senior BJP leader and the party's Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar claimed that CPI(M) is taking refuge in terror as it is losing support among the people.
He also attacked the Congress over the support offered to it by the SDPI and said it was a grim situation before the elections on April 26 in the state.
Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan blamed the CPI(M) for the incident and alleged that the Left party was using its workers to manufacture country-made bombs and worsening the law-and-order situation during the elections.
Senior BJP leader and the party's Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar claimed that CPI(M) is taking refuge in terror as it is losing support among the people.
He also attacked the Congress over the support offered to it by the SDPI and said it was a grim situation before the elections on April 26 in the state.
Congress reacts
Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan blamed the CPI(M) for the incident and alleged that the Left party was using its workers to manufacture country-made bombs and worsening the law-and-order situation during the elections.
Satheesan, in his statement, also questioned whether Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan was indeed in charge of the Home Department as a similar incident had occurred in Thiruvananthapuram just two days ago.
On Wednesday, two teenagers were seriously injured when a country-made bomb they were allegedly making exploded in a vacant land at Horizon Park near Mannanthala in Thiruvananthapuram.
One of them lost both his palms, and the other suffered partial damage to one palm. Two others who were with them sustained minor injuries.
Police revealed that all four teenagers were between 17 and 18 years old and had been involved in various criminal cases.
