Thiruvananthapuram,  Congress workers staged a protest in front of the Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod on Saturday against the manner in which the wives of three CPI-M supporters, presently jailed for the murder of two Youth Congress workers, were given temporary jobs by the district authorities.

As many as 100 people had appeared for the interview for four sweeper's posts in the district hospital. Of the four persons who have been appointed, three are the wives of the accused persons who are presently in jail.

The gruesome murders took place in Periye on February 17, 2019, when two Youth Congress workers, Krupesh (19) and Sharath Lal aka Joshy (24), were attacked by three motorcycle-borne men while they were returning from an event.

While Krupesh died at the Kasaragod district hospital, Joshy succumbed to his injuries on his way to a medical facility in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

It has been alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government tried to shield the accused persons, especially after it went to the apex court, which upheld the verdict of a division bench of the Kerala High Court that ruled to handover the case to the CBI.

The central probe agency is presently investigating the case.

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Kasaragod, Rajmohan Unnithan, said that this is the way the CPI-M operates, by protecting the criminals, adding that the jobs should have been given to the victims' family members.

Senior Congress legislator K. Babu said that this is a slap on the face of thousands of unemployed people in the state by the ruling CPI-M.

"This shows the CPI-M will go to any extent to protect its workers who engage in murders of political opponents. This is nothing but a shame," said Babu.

Meanwhile, the Kasaragod district CPI-M denied having any role in the appointments.