Party Leaders Under Fire: Former CPI-M MLA's Allegations Against CBI
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Kannur, Jan 9 (NationPress) Former CPI-M MLA K.V. Kunhiraman asserted on Thursday that the CBI has been targeting him and other party leaders in relation to the Periya twin murder case simply because of their positions within the party. This case pertains to the heinous murders of Youth Congress members Kripesh (19) and P.K. Sarath Lal (24) on February 17, 2019, in Periya, Kasargod district.
Kunhiraman expressed these views shortly after his release from Central Jail in Kannur, following the Kerala High Court's decision on Wednesday to suspend the Kochi CBI Court’s ruling, which had imposed a five-year prison sentence on him and three other CPI-M leaders.
In the same context, the CBI court recently sentenced ten CPI-M affiliates to double life sentences for their direct or indirect roles in these politically motivated homicides, while Kunhiraman and the three others received lesser penalties.
“We were targeted because we are party leaders,” stated Kunhiraman. “Since the ruling, we have chosen to remain silent, placing our trust in the judiciary. We filed our appeal on January 6, and by January 8, the High Court had stayed the CBI court's decision. Our party is aware of our innocence; this is part of a broader agenda to tarnish our reputation. Notably, nine of the ten initially accused by the CBI were cleared of charges.”
Prominent CPI-M leaders gathered outside the jail to greet the mild-mannered former legislator. The CBI had accused Kunhiraman and three others of forcibly taking the second accused from police custody during the investigation.
The CPI-M has consistently claimed that the Kerala Police and the Crime Branch did not initially name Kunhiraman or the other three as suspects in their early investigation, with these names only surfacing once the case was handed over to the CBI.
The Periya twin murders were politically motivated, with the victims allegedly killed by CPI-M members. According to court findings, eight of the accused were directly involved in the homicides, while six others had indirect involvement. The eight directly implicated received double life sentences, alongside two conspirators who faced the same fate.
This case, originally investigated by the Crime Branch, was transferred to the CBI following a petition from the victims’ families in the High Court. The CBI determined that the murders were part of an ongoing cycle of politically fueled violence between CPI-M and Congress workers in the area.
