Two including LDF candidate sentenced to 20 years in prison for hurling bomb at police vehicle

TALIPARAMBA: Two people, including an LDF candidate, have been sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined in the case related to hurling a bomb at a police vehicle in Payyannur. The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Court Judge K.N. Prashanth. The convicted are V.K. Nishad (35), the LDF candidate for the 46th ward of Payyannur Municipality, current councillor, and DYFI block secretary from Karamel; and T.C. Vinod Kumar (35), a DYFI leader and employee of a cooperative bank from Vellur.

The court acquitted two other accused- A. Mithun and K.V. Kripesh. The incident took place on August 1, 2012. The attack happened at Payyannur town during a protest against the arrest of then CPM district secretary P. Jayarajan in connection with the Ariyil Shukkoor murder case.

According to the prosecution, while the police were patrolling, Nishad and three others arrived on a bike. When the police chased them, they allegedly threw a bomb at the police vehicle in which then Payyannur SI K.P. Ramakrishnan and his team were travelling. They then fled the scene. Police identified Nishad, who was an SFI leader at the time, as the person who threw the bomb. The bomb did not explode, preventing a major tragedy. The accused were charged with attempted murder, possession of explosives, and use of explosives.