KANNUR: The Thalassery Additional Sessions Court has acquitted 13 members of the National Development Front (NDF) accused in the murder of Hindu Aikya Vedi worker Ashwini Kumar (27) that happened on March 10, 2005. Only the third accused, MV Marshook, a native of Chavassery in Iritty, was found guilty, with his sentencing scheduled for November 14.
Iritty native Ashwini Kumar, a teacher at a parallel college, was murdered , while travelling from Kannur to Iritty. He was attacked inside a bus, where he was reportedly bombed and hacked to death. The trial began in 2020, culminating in today’s decision.
Those acquitted include Nurul Amin, PK Aziz, PM Siraj, MK Yunus, CP Ummer, Ali, Naufal, Yakub, Mustafa, Basheer, Shammas, and Shanavas, each of whom faced charges in connection with the murder.
The case investigation, led by Crime Branch officer PK Madhusudanan, concluded with a charge sheet filed on July 31, marking 24 years long and contentious legal battle.
Following the verdict, RSS leader Valsan Thillankeri expressed disappointment, stating that the party plans to appeal. “We expected justice from the court. The verdict is very unfortunate. The attack happened in broad daylight in front of hundreds of people. There were many eyewitnesses to the incident. We will go to any extent until Ashwini Kumar’s family gets justice,” he said.