8 BJP-RSS workers get life for murder

Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala court sentenced eight BJP-RSS workers to life imprisonment for the 2013 murder of a CPI(M) activist, Sreekumar alias Ashokan, near Alamcode. The eight convicts, including Shambhu Kumar, Sreejith, Harikumar, Chandramohan, and Santhosh, were convicted under sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. The court ordered double life imprisonment for them and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.

Three other accused—Abhishek, Prashanth, and Sajeev—were sentenced to life imprisonment for criminal conspiracy, with a fine of Rs 50,000 each. The total fine of Rs 6.5 lakh will be given to the victim's widow and children.

The court noted that if the convicts' sentences are reduced by the government, the time already spent in custody will be accounted for. The court had earlier found that the killing stemmed from a financial dispute between Shambhu and Sreekumar's friend, Aad Binu. Sreekumar's intervention in the dispute led to the fatal attack on May 5, 2013. The court also acquitted eight other accused due to insufficient evidence.