Periya Double Murder Verdict: Justice Served

A CBI court sentenced 10 individuals to double life imprisonment and four others, including a former CPI(M) MLA, to five years in prison for the politically motivated murder of two Youth Congress workers in Kerala's Kasaragod district five years ago.

A CBI court handed down a double life sentence to 10 individuals on Friday for the murders of two Youth Congress workers in Periya, Kasaragod district, Kerala. The court also sentenced four others, including a former CPI(M) MLA, to five years in prison.

The verdict comes after the court found them guilty last Saturday in a case that shook the local political landscape. The case centers around the killings of Kripesh, 19, and Sarath Lal P K, 24, allegedly by CPI(M) workers on February 17, 2019.

Prominent among the convicted are former MLA and CPI(M) district leader K V Kunhiraman, Kanhangad block panchayat president K Manikandan, former Periya local committee member A Peethambaran, and former Pakkam local secretary Raghavan Velutholi. According to the prosecution, the murders were the result of politically fueled violence between CPI(M) and Congress affiliates.

(With inputs from agencies.)