8 Muslim League workers held guilty in 2015 killing of CPM man

KOCHI : The Kerala HC found the seven accused in murder of DYFI activist Shibin from Thuneri in Nadapuram guilty, overturning their earlier acquittal by a trial court. A bench of Justices P B Suresh Kumar and C Pratheep Kumar scheduled the appeal filed by state govt and C K Bhaskaran, Shibin's father, against the acquittal, for a hearing on sentencing on Oct 15.

The division bench convicted eight accused, Ismail, Muneer, Aslam, Siddique, Muhammad Anees, Shuhaib, Jasim and Abdul Samad, all IUML workers, finding they were directly involved in Shibin's murder. Since Aslam was murdered in 2016, HC removed his name from list of accused. Shibin (19) was hacked to death on Jan 22, 2015 by a group of IUML workers. Six other CPM workers were severely injured in the attack. The prosecution alleged that the murder stemmed from political and communal rivalry. Seventeen accused faced trial at the special additional sessions court at Eranhipalam in Kozhikode for offences that included murder, voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons, rioting, harbouring offenders, and destruction of evidence. HC observed that prosecution had substantiated its charges against the accused by presenting adequate material and evidence.