Kannur (Kerala): In a rare instance of capital punishment being awarded in a political murder case in recent times, five Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPM) activists were on August 26 sentenced to death by a local court for murdering K T Jayakrishnan, state vice president of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) youth wing, Yuva Morcha, in 1999.

Pronouncing the judgment amidst tight security, Thalassery additional sessions judge K K Chandradas sentenced all the five under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including section 302 (murder).

Jayakrishnan was fatally attacked with lethal weapons by CPM activists while he was taking class in the East Mokeri UP School near Thalassery in full view of the students on December 1, 1999.

The murder, which came as a sequel to long-running political violence involving CPM and Sangh Parivar in politically volatile Kannur district, had evoked widespread condemnation.

The judge handed down capital punishment to P Pradeepan, K Sundaran, N Shaji, C Dinesh Babu and K Anil Kumar. While the sixth accused Paramban Rajan was acquitted, another accused P K Sanjeevan had reportedly committed suicide jumping before a train recently.

The prosecution had produced 151 witnesses in the case, but just 30 of them could be examined by public prosecutor Chandran Chandroth. The witnesses also included students of the school where the murder had taken place.

PTI