A state-level CPI-M leader was on Wednesday arrested in connection with the murder of Marxist rebel and Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T.P. Chandrasekaran.
K.K. Ragesh, CPI-M state committee member, was arrested under IPC Section 212 (harbouring offender) and he was later released on bail, police said.
Ragesh was summoned to the SIT camp office at Vadakara in the district for questioning which lasted over one hour after which he was arrested.
The Special Investigation Team, probing the murder case, registered a case against Ragesh for allegedly helping party leader and suspected mastermind P.K. Kunhanandan to go underground when he was evading arrest, SIT sources said.
Ragesh is the first state-committee member to be arrested in connection with the murder case in which some local and district level party activists have already been taken into custody.
The case was registered following the statement of SFI Kannur District leader Sarin Sasi, who was earlier arrested in connection with the May 4 murder.
Earlier, SIT had served notice to Ragesh to appear before it for questioning, but he had sought time.
Ragesh alleged that the 'fake' case was registered to take political revenge and to tarnish the image of the party leaders and workers. He said he cooperated with the inquiry.