Cong worker's murder: CPM leader awarded death sentence

A fast-track court on Saturday sentenced a former local secretary of the CPM to death and awarded life imprisonment to five others for the murder of a Congress worker at Chertala town in Alappuzha district in 2009.

Alappuzha Fast Track Court Judge Anil Kumar pronounced the verdict on Saturday morning.

The court awarded death sentence for CPM leader R Baiju finding that he was the main conspirator in the murder.

The prosecution case was that Baiju and others went to the residence of the deceased Congress leader Divakaran on December 9, 2009, to sell a coir product as part of the then Left government's scheme to promote such products.

However, Divakaran refused to buy them, saying they were priced too high, leading to a heated argument.

He was then hit on the head. He suffered serious injuries and succumbed to them a week later at a hospital.