All accused dress alike, wear masks; Trial begins in Abhimanyu murder case after eight years

KOCHI: The trial in the murder case of Abhimanyu, a student of Maharaja’s College and SFI leader, has started after a gap of eight years. Witness examination is being held at the Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court. All 16 accused in the case appeared before the court today.

They arrived in the court wearing the same clothes. They wore white dhotis (mundu), white half-sleeved shirts, black shoes and had masks. Even their haircuts were similar, making it difficult to distinguish them individually. They removed the masks when the judge asked them to take it off.

The high court had earlier rejected their demand to stop the trial. The pleas filed by Popular Front activists were dismissed. The high court issued the order on the pleas filed by Najeeb and Shanavas, the 24th and 25th accused in the case. The court also had rejected their pleas for a secret trial. They had requested to consider the case in a closed room. The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court had previously rejected the same demand.

Abhimanyu of Vattavada in Idukki and a member of the SFI Idukki district committee, was killed in the early hours of July 2, 2018. A clash occurred during the preparations ahead of the start of the new academic year. Abhimanyu was stabbed in the chest and he died on the spot itself.