Periya double murder: Seven Congress workers get 8 years for attacking cops, vandalising CPM worker's house

Kasaragod: Seven Congress workers have been sentenced to a total of eight years’ imprisonment and fined ₹91,000 each for attacking police officers and vandalising the house of a CPM worker at Kalliyot near Periya following the murders of Youth Congress workers Kripesh and Sarathlal P K in 2019.

The Kasaragod Additional Sessions Court-III on Monday imposed separate sentences under six sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). As the sentences will run concurrently, the seven accused will serve four years of rigorous imprisonment.

Those sentenced are M K Satheeshan, Sanal Kumar, M Bijith, Vivek Chandran, Chandran K, Girish A, and Ravi M.

The case relates to an attack on the house of Valsaraj, a CPM worker and trader in Kalliyot, on the night of May 5, 2019, amid continuing tensions in the area following the murder of Kripesh and Sarathlal.

The prosecution alleged that the accused formed an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons and trespassed into Valsaraj’s house at Balikalam around 11.50 pm. They allegedly smashed window panes and fibre chairs in the sit-out and damaged around four vehicles parked on the premises and nearby by hitting them with sticks and pelting them with stones.

Police officers had been deployed at Valsaraj’s house as a picket post amid fears of further violence. According to the prosecution, the accused attacked the policemen and obstructed them from discharging their official duties.

Civil Police Officers Sureshan and Sarath Kumar, who were on picket-post duty, were allegedly assaulted and injured. Senior Civil Police Officer Pradeep, who was on duty with Bekal Sub-Inspector Srihari K P, was allegedly attacked with a sharp weapon and seriously injured. The prosecution also alleged that Sarath Kumar was struck with a chair in an attempt to commit culpable homicide.

The damage to the house and vehicles was estimated at ₹98,834, according to the prosecution.

The court convicted the accused under Section 333 of the IPC, which deals with voluntarily causing grievous injuries to a public servant to deter them from their duty, and sentenced each to four years’ rigorous imprisonment and a ₹50,000 fine.

They were also sentenced to one year’s simple imprisonment and a ₹5,000 fine under Section 332 for causing simple injury to deter a public servant from performing their duty; six months and ₹1,000 under Section 147 for rioting; one year and ₹10,000 under Section 148 for rioting with deadly weapons; one year and ₹20,000 under Section 427 for causing property damage; and six months and ₹5,000 under Section 448 for house trespass.

The sentences under all six sections will run concurrently, limiting the prison term to four years.

Ten Congress workers were named as accused in the case. Gopakumar M, the first accused, Anand Krishnan, the sixth accused, and Anish Kumar M, the sixth accused, did not appear for the trial. Two of them are abroad. The court ruled that they would be tried separately.

The incident took place less than three months after Kripesh and Sarath Lal were hacked to death by CPM workers at Kalliyot near Periya on February 17, 2019. The murders triggered prolonged tensions and a series of retaliatory attacks in the area.

Valsaraj, a CPM worker and trader in Kalliyot, had been a target among Congress workers, who allegedly believed he had provided information to those involved in the murders. However, he was not named as an accused in the twin-murder case, either by the Kerala police or by the CBI, which later took over the investigation.

The attack on Valsaraj’s house occurred against this backdrop of continuing political tensions, with police maintaining a picket at his residence to prevent further violence.

The charge sheet was filed by N P Raghavan, the then Sub-Inspector of Bekal police station. Additional Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor P Satheesan and advocate Ambili K appeared for the prosecution.