In an investigation report submitted to a special court in Ernakulam on Friday, the CBI has reiterated that two CPI(M) leaders from Kannur, Karai Rajan and Karai Chandrasekaran, were involved in the conspiracy to kill former CPI(M) Mohammad Fasal. The activist who joined the Rashtriya Vikas Morcha (later renamed Popular Front of India) and was killed in 2006. The CBI has also denied any role of the RSS in the murder.
After its preliminary investigation, the CBI arrested two CPI(M) leaders and six others in 2012. But, in a twist in the matter in 2016, the local police claimed that an RSS worker, identified as Subish alias Kuppi Subish, was arrested in connection with the murder of a CPI(M) worker in Kannur, he said. It was said that he and three other RSS workers were behind the murder of Fasal.
Following this, Faisal’s family approached the High Court seeking further investigation. Subish later told the court that the police harassed him and forced him to give a statement. In July this year, the High Court had ordered the CBI to conduct further investigation. In its latest investigation report, the CBI has not only denied the alleged role of RSS workers, but reiterated that the murder was hatched by two CPI(M) leaders, who are now out on bail. The CBI said Subish was forced to give a confessional statement in police custody.
Faisal was assassinated on October 22, 2006 in Thalassery. While the case was initially probed by the State Crime Branch, it was handed over to the CBI in 2008 following the direction of the HC on a petition by the victim’s widow.
While the two CPI(M) leaders were released on bail after being in custody for one-and-a-half years, they were not allowed to leave Ernakulam district under their bail conditions set by the CBI court. But the HC recently relaxed his bail conditions, paving the way for his return to Kannur.
On Friday, the party organized a reception for him in Kannur. Senior CPI(M) leaders including party’s Kannur district secretary, MV Jayarajan and state committee member P Jayarajan attended the event. Jayarajan said that both Rajan and Chandrasekaran are innocent.
While in exile in Ernakulam, two CPI(M) leaders contested and won the 2015 local body elections in Kannur. Rajan was elected the president of the Kannur district panchayat, while Chandrasekaran became the president of the Thalassery municipality. However, later both of them resigned as they could not enter Kannur district.
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