Vishnu murder case: 11 RSS workers get double life term

Thiruvananthapuram: A district court here on Monday granted double life term to 11 activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the murder case of CPI-M activist V. Vishnu.

The court had earlier found 13 activists of the RSS guilty of the murder. While one person was sentenced to life imprisonment, another person, one Harilal who was accused of helping the other accused to go into hiding, was granted three-year rigorous imprisonment.

Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Judge T.K. Minimol also ordered the convicts to pay a fine of Rs 3 lakh which would be given to the family of Vishnu.

Vishnu was hacked to death by the RSS gang near the passport office at Kaithamukku on April 1, 2008. The murder was in the name of political rivalry.

The convicted are T Santhosh of Kaithamukku, Manoj alias Kakkotta Manoj, Binukumar and Harilal, Renjith Kumar, Balu Mahendra, Vipin, Satheesh Kumar, Bose and Manikantan, Vinod Kumar of Chencheri, Subash, Sivalal.

All suspects except Harilal were accused of murder, conspiracy, rioting and unlawful assembly.