Kerala court sentences 8 BJP-RSS workers to life term for killing CPI(M) activist in 2013

Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala court on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment eight BJP-RSS workers who were convicted in a case of beating and stabbing to death a CPI(M) activist near Alamcode here in May 2013.

Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Judge IV Aaj Sudarsan sentenced Shambhu Kumar alias Shambhu, Sreejith alias Unni, Harikumar, Chandramohan alias Ambili and Santhosh alias Chandu, to double life imprisonment for the offences under section 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.

It said that the sentences shall run concurrently and also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on each of them.

Three others—Abhishek alias Anni Santhosh, Prashanth alias Pazhinji Prashanth and—Sajeev were sentenced to life imprisonment by the court for the offence under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.

It imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the three of them.

The court said if the entire fine of Rs 6.5 lakh was realised from the convicts, the amount shall be given to the deceased's widow and children.

The court also said that if the life imprisonment of the eight accused was remitted or commuted by the government, then the period they already spent in custody as an undertrial prisoner shall be set off against the punishment that will be given to them.

The court on January 10 had found the eight guilty of the beating and stabbing to death of Sreekumar alias Ashokan.

Special public prosecutor (SPP) A A Hakkim had told the court that the reason behind the killing of the victim was a financial dispute between Sreekumar's friend Aad Binu and one of the accused, Shambhu.

Sreekumar had intervened in the financial row and caused injuries to Shambhu, the SPP had said.

Subsequently, the eight accused hatched a plan to retaliate and beat up and stabbed to death the victim near Alamcode on May 5, 2013, the prosecutor said.

The SPP had also said that eight other accused in the case—who were charged with destruction of evidence and helping the attackers to abscond—were acquitted due to lack of evidence against them.