Court convicts nine CPI(M) members for 2005 murder of BJP worker Suraj
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Kannur: The Thalassery District Sessions Court in Kerala has delivered a verdict in a 2005 murder case, finding nine members of the CPI(M) guilty of murdering Suraj, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker.
The murder occurred on August 7, 2005, in Muzhappilangad, a village in Thalassery, Kannur, known for its strong Communist party presence.
One of the nine accused, Manoraj, is the brother of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s press secretary P.M. Manoj.
In all, there were 12 accused; two of the accused passed away during the trial, while on Friday one accused was acquitted.
Suraj's decision to leave the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) in 2004 and join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led to a deep-seated grudge among nine CPI(M) members.
Suraj, a three-wheeler driver, was attacked and murdered while driving his autorickshaw. A group of individuals had boarded his vehicle, pretending to be passengers, and then assaulted him from behind.
He survived the attack after being hospitalised for weeks and was bedridden for months.
However, on the morning of August 7, 2005, Suraj was fatally attacked by a gang of nearly a dozen individuals. To create panic and clear the area, the gang detonated a country-made bomb before stabbing and slashing Suraj with knives and swords. After confirming his death, the attackers fled the scene.
It was only after the mother of the then 32-year-old Suraj approached the Kerala High Court that a special public prosecutor was appointed for the case. “Justice is served to Suraj after 20 years," said the lawyer who fought for Suraj's family.
Notably, one of the accused in Suraj's murder case is T.K. Rejeesh, who is also implicated in the high-profile T.P. Chandrasekheran murder case.
The widow of the former CPI(M) hugely popular leader Chandrasekheran, K.K. Rema, is a first-time legislator after she won the 2021 Assembly polls from the Badagara Assembly constituency in Kozhikode district.
(inputs from IANS)