Kannur:
Seventeen years after CPM activist K Lathesh was publicly hacked to death on the eve of the New Year, an Additional Sessions Court in Thalassery on January 8 sentenced seven RSS-BJP workers to life imprisonment, bringing closure to one of the most chilling political murders in north Kerala.

Lathesh (28) was CPM’s branch secretary at Chakyathmukku, a coastal village in Thalassery’s Thalayi fishing harbour. He was also a member of the party’s Thiruvangad Local Committee. “Though the village is in Thalassery, the area where Lathesh worked was an RSS pocket. His silent work, intervening in everyday issues, influenced a lot of young RSS workers to join the CPM,” said Special Public Prosecutor P K Varghese. And that did not go down well with his political rivals, he said, explaining the motive behind the evening murder.

On December 31, 2008, as the coastal village prepared for New Year celebrations, an armed group of RSS-BJP workers arrived at Chakyathmukku seashore around 5.30 pm. Seeing them advance with axes, swords and choppers, Lathesh jumped off from the seawall onto the beach, but he chased down and relentlessly hacked, according to the judgment. The first blow, delivered with an axe to his neck, felled him. What followed was a “continuous and unrelenting” assault -- 25 ante-mortem injuries inflicted in rapid succession, across his neck, head, torso and limbs.

As women screamed, bombs were hurled to create panic. P P Mohanlal, who had earlier left the BJP-RSS and joined the CPM under Latesh’s influence, was also hacked and seriously injured. But during the trial, Mohanlal turned hostile, refusing to identify his assailants, said Adv Varghese. “It showed the influence and fear prevailing in the area,” he said.

There were 12 accused in the case, including the BJP councillor from Thalayi division, Ajesh K. On Thursday, Thalassery Additional Sessions Judge-IV Vimal J handed down life sentences to the first seven accused; Ajesh and three others were acquitted for lack of evidence; and one accused, K Ajith, died during the trial.

Those sentenced to life in prison are: Sumith alias Kuttan (39), K K Prajeesh Babu (47), B Nidhin (37), K Sanal (37), Smijosh (42), Sajeesh (37), and V Jayesh (36). All were from Thalayi and in their 20s when they were hacked to death by Lathesh. Those acquitted were Santhosh Kumar (50), Sarath (37), E K Saneesh (47) from Eranholi and K Ajesh (49).

The defence sought to suggest that the injuries of Lathesh were sustained around 3.30 pm in an unrelated incident involving the blocking of an ambulance carrying RSS workers to the hospital at Chakyathmukku.

The court rejected this outright, relying on medical evidence. The post-mortem doctor testified that the injuries were so severe that Lathesh could not have survived beyond five to ten minutes, completely demolishing the defence claim.

The seven accused were convicted under multiple provisions of the IPC and the Explosive Substances Act. Apart from the life sentence for murder, they were sentenced to five years for possessing explosives, and another 10 years for causing explosions; 10 years for causing grievous hurt; 10 years for attempt to murder; one year for rioting with weapons; six months for unlawful assembly; and another one month for wrongful restraint.

Judge Vimal also imposed a fine of Rs 1.42 lakh on each of the accused under these sections. If the fine amount is realised, he ordered that Rs 5 lakh should be given to Latesh’s mother and Rs 75,000 to his brother K Suresh, who was the prosecution’s first witness. Suresh and his brother K Vinesh (witness no. 2) were eyewitnesses to the murder.

The court concluded that the compensation award is not adequate for the mother’s rehabilitation, and directed the District Legal Service Authority to provide compensation to her from the Victim Compensation Scheme.