(Representative image)

KANNUR: Thalassery additional district sessions court on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to 11 CPM workers on the charge of murdering a BJP worker, A Mahesh, at Chittariparamba near Koothuparamba in Kannur district in 2008.

The court of additional district sessions judge RL Baiju, which found the 11 CPM workers - Pongoli Dhanesh, Oniyan Babu, Nellikka Uthaman, Chemmeri Prakashan, Manoli Umesh, Vazhavalappil Ranjith, Nellikka Mukesh, Karat Purushothaman, Chirukandoth Sunesh, Manappatti Sooraj and Vayaleri Shiju – guilty of murdering Mahesh, also awarded ten year rigorous imprisonment to them under Explosive Act. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on them, out of which Rs three lakh would be given to the family of the victim.

Mahesh, a 32-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, was hacked to death near Chittariparamba town bus stop at around 6pm after unleashing terror by hurling bombs. In the attack his head was almost severed.

The murder was the result of the political tension in Thalassery, Koothuparamba and surrounding areas in which around six people were killed in less than one week’s time. It is said that the provocation for the murder was that Mahesh left the CPM and joined the BJP.

Public prosecutor KP Bineesha and P Premraj, the lawyer on behalf of Mahesh’s mother, appeared for prosecution.

The court had on June 22 awarded life imprisonment to five CPM workers for murdering BJP worker, Parakkandi Nikhil, at Vadakkumbad near Thalassery on March 5, 2008.

