KOCHI: The CBI on Friday filed a charge sheet against 24 people including CPM Kasaragod district secretariat member and former MLA K V Kunhiraman in the 2019 Periya double murder case.
The chargesheet -— filed at the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court by CBI Special Crime Branch Thiruvananthapuram DySP T P Ananda Krishnan — comes on the eve of the deadline set by the Kerala High Court to complete the investigation. Ten men associated with CPM, who were found to have direct involvement in the murder of Youth Congress workers Kripesh, 19, and Sarath Lal P K, 24, on February 17, 2019, are among those named in the chargesheet.
Other than Kunhiraman, Echladukkam branch secretary Rajesh P alias Raju is another CPM leader charged in the case. According to CBI sources, 14 were earlier arrested by the Kerala Police, five were recently arrested by the CBI and another five were arraigned by the central agency — under various IPC sections including criminal conspiracy, murder and unlawful assembly, and under Arms act.
Besides, the IPC section of obstruction to lawful apprehension of accused persons is charged against three persons including Kunhiraman. “We have sought permission for further investigation in the case. We will file a petition at the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court soon, seeking the custody of five persons arrested on Wednesday,” a CBI official said.
A press release by the CBI states that the agency conducted thorough probe and examined more than 300 witnesses and collected several documents. “During probe, it was alleged that there were some politically motivated attacks and counter attacks between the workers of two political parties in the area. It was also alleged that the attack on the victims was a retaliation to the earlier attack on one of the accused in the chargesheet and others, who hatched conspiracy to attack the victims. It was also alleged that in pursuance to the said conspiracy, the victims were brutally attacked with deadly weapons causing grievous injuries, who succumbed to death,” the press release said.