Kasaragod: Seven Congress workers have been sentenced to a total of eight years of 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 were 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 smashed window panes and fibre chairs in the sit-out and damaged four vehicles parked on the premises and nearby using sticks and stones.

Police officers were 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 assaulted and injured. Senior Civil Police Officer Pradeep, who was on duty with Bekal Sub-Inspector Srihari K P, was attacked with a sharp weapon and seriously injured. The prosecution also alleged that Sarath Kumar was struck with a chair.

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 of 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 were 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, allegedly by CPM workers, at Kalliyot near Periya on February 17, 2019. The murders triggered prolonged tension and a series of retaliatory attacks in the area.

Valsaraj, a CPM worker and trader in Kalliyot, was a target among Congress workers, who believed he had provided information to those involved in the murders. However, he was not named as an accused in the twin-murder case, neither by the Kerala police nor the CBI, which later took over investigation.

The attack on Valsaraj’s house occurred against this backdrop of continuing political tension, 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.