A court here on Saturday acquitted 21 BJP-RSS workers accused of murdering SDPI activist Zainul Abid in 2014, observing that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against them.
Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Achindya Raj Unni pronounced the verdict, acquitting all the accused in the case.
The acquitted included BJP local leaders Mahesh K, Udayan, Prasanth, Prathap and Hareesh B.
During the trial, the court examined 81 witnesses and considered 20 material objects and 150 documents.
The murder took place around 9.30 pm on December 22, 2014, near the old bus stand in Kasaragod.
Abid, 24, an SDPI supporter from Talangare Kunnil, was helping his father, K A Muhammad Kunhi, close their mattress shop when a group of assailants armed with sharp weapons allegedly stormed the shop and attacked him. Nearby shopkeepers rushed to the spot after hearing his screams, but the assailants fled.
Abid was initially taken to a private hospital in Kasaragod and later shifted to Mangaluru as his condition worsened.
He succumbed to his injuries on December 23, 2014.
The case was registered following the murder, and 21 BJP-RSS workers were arrested.
(With inputs from PTI)