Kerala : 3 CPM leaders, 9 others convicted for killing Chandrashekharan
Thiruvananthapuram – The special court hearing the murder case of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader TP Chandrashekaran has convicted 12 people for the killing. Additional and sessions court judge R Narayana Pisharady found the seven member killer gang and three local leaders of the CPI (M) guilty of murdering Chandrashekharan.
However, CPI (M) leaders P Mohanan and CPI (M) District secretariat member and husband of MLA KK Lathika has been acquitted in the sensational murder case.
The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Thursday.
The murder of the RMP leader created a political turmoil in the state as the party alleged that CPI(M) had orchestrated the murder.
The CPI(M) denied the allegations but the accused included CPI (M) district committee, local committee and branch committee members.
Chandrashekaran was a CPI (M) worker and he left the party in 2009 after a feud with the official faction. He was fighting against the dissolution in party ideologies and the right-wing opportunism. He was close to opposition leader VS Achuthanandan, even after his death Achuthanandan has maintained that Chandrashekaran was a brave communist even as the party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan called him a traitor.
Achuthanandan’s stand in the issue had actually put the party in a difficult situation as he visited Chandrashekharan’s residence at the day of the Neyyatinkara by-election.
According to the prosecution case from April 27, 2012, the seven member gang was trailing him and they got the opportunity to hack him on May 4, 2012 at Vallikkad near Onchiyam in Kozhikode district. He was on his bike. According to the reports he had about 51 injuries on his body as part of the stabbing. His face was mutilated beyond recognition.
Chandrashekharan was murdered on May 4 2012. The chargesheet was filed within 90 days of murder. Initially there were 76 accused, of which the trial of 15 has been stayed by the high court, 22 have been acquitted due to lack of evidence, 2 are absconding and one accused is dead. The number of accused now is 36. Total witnesses of the prosecution were 166 of which 52 turned hostile. Trial process began on February 11, 2013 and hearing closed on December 20, 2013.
