15 PFI activists sentenced to death for killing BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in Kerala

KOTTAYAM: Fifteen members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) were on Tuesday sentenced to death for killing local BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in Kerala's Alappuzha town. They were sentenced to death by Mavelikkara additional sessions judge V G Sreedevi. He was state secretary of BJP's OBC Morcha.

Awarding death sentences to so many convicts at one go is for the first time in the state. The Kerala high court needs to confirm the verdict.

Sreenivasan was brutally murdered at his home in front of his wife, mother and child on December 19, 2021.

All the convicts are from Alappuzha. The convicted accused from 1-15 in that order are Komalapuram native Naisam, Mannanchery native Ajmal, Alappuzha West native Anoop, Aryad Thekku native Mohammed Aslam, Mannanachery native Abdul Kalam (Salam), Adivaram native Abdul Kalam, Alappuzha west native Safaruddin, Mannanchery native Manshad, Alappuzha West native Jaseeb Raja, Mullakkal native Navaz, Komalapuram native Sameer, Mannanchery North native Naseer, Mannanchery native Zakir Hussain, Thekkeveliyil native Shaji (Poovathil Shaji), Mullakkal native Shernaz Ashraf.

Kerala BJP posted on social media platform 'X': "Justice for the heavenly Ranjith Srinivasan who was brutally murdered by PFI terrorists. Mavelikkara Additional Sessions Court awarded death sentence to 15 accused in the case. Congratulations to the prosecution, investigating officers and lawyers."

Earlier on January 20, the additional sessions court in Mavelikkara had convicted all the accused in the case.

According to the prosecution, Sreenivasan's killing with a sword was in retaliation to the murder of an SDPI state secretary, KS Shan, the night before. SDPI is PFI's alleged political wing.