Idukki DCC president appointed murder accused to committee without consultation, members say

Idukki District Congress Committee (DCC) president CP Mathew’s decision to nominate Nikhil Paily, the prime accused in the 2022 murder of Students Federation of India (SFI) activist and BTech student Dheeraj Rajendran, to the committee has sparked outrage in the district. According to party leaders, Mr. Mathew nominated Mr. Paily without consulting other members of the DCC or the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

Many DCC members are now demanding that KPCC remove Mr. Mathew as president. He nominated Mr Paily to the committee along with four others on Saturday. Congressional leaders only learned of Mr. Paily’s inclusion when the list was released.

“It is a black mark on the newly elected UDF government and MLAs in the district. The nomination was made without consulting other UDF leaders in the district. It was an unsolicited move by the DCC president. His actions are causing huge damage to this party and we have demanded that KPCC immediately remove him from office. Recently, senior Congress MP Dean launched a verbal attack against Idukose.”

“If the court acquits Mr. Paily, we could accept his nomination. But the case is still pending. The nomination will tarnish the reputation of the Congress in the district,” the leader added.

Meanwhile, Mr Mathew defended his decision, clarifying that the court had not yet found Mr Paily guilty and that the trial was just beginning.

CPI(M) stand

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) district leadership strongly objected to the nomination. CPI(M) Idukki district secretary CV Varghese said Congress leaders must question the logic of the move. “The CPI(M) will take up the murder case legally and politically. The nomination shows exactly what the Congress intends to offer to the public,” Varghese said.

Dheeraj was stabbed to death at Government Engineering College, Painavu, Idukki on 10 January 2022. He was killed and two other students, Thrissur native Abhijith T. Sunil and Kollam resident AS Amal, were injured in a clash related to college union elections. In April 2022, the police submitted a 600-page charge sheet to the court accusing KSU Youth Congress activists in the case, with Mr. Paily named as the prime accused.

Published – 24 May 2026 21:53 IST