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In a format inspired by Gurmehar Kaur’s video pleading for peace, Vismaya Kumar, daughter of a slain RSS activist in Kerala, asks the perpetrators of her father’s murder, “Why did you kill my father?”

Holding up placards one after the other, the 12-year-old says, “My father wanted to fulfil my dreams. A night swept away all my dreams,” adding that she wanted to become an IPS officer to serve the country.

“His only mistake was he supported RSS and BJP. I see only darkness in my future. They murdered not just my dad but my dreams and future. I see only darkness, complete darkness. I have not yet [got the answer], why they killed my father,” she added.

While Kiren Rijiju accused politicians of polluting Kaur’s mind, there is some BJP involvement behind Kumar’s video.

Significantly, the placards are written in Hindi. BJP sources told NDTV, “We wanted the message to reach a larger audience, for them to see Kannur’s violence and how this girl has been affected. That’s why we made this video.”

Kerala’s Kannur has been a hotbed of political violence. Over the years, the RSS-BJP and CPI(M) have lost almost equal numbers of people to political violence, with the former losing 31 and the latter, 30, since 2000.