Periya double murder: CBI charge sheet within three months

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI has said it will file a charge sheet within three months by finding the masterminds in the Periya double murder case. In addition to the current 14, more people will be named accused in the case. The results of the scientific examination of the seized weapons will be available next week. Evidence collection and scrutiny of documents have been completed. A special team led by TP Anandakrishnan, deputy superintendent of the CBI Thiruvananthapuram unit, is conducting an investigation by camping at the Kasargod rest house.

Despite a High Court order on November 30, 2019, the Crime Branch failed to provide the documents including the case diary and forensic report. Last December, the Supreme Court had rejected the government's appeal against the CBI probe. The High Court recently directed the CBI to complete the probe within four months. The FIR was re-registered in the Ernakulam CJM court.

Case and accused
On February 17, 2019, at 7.45 pm, Youth Congress activists Kripesh (21) and Sarathulal (24) were hacked to death by a group in a vehicle at Kallyot in Periya. There are 14 accused, including the CPM area and local secretaries, and party workers. The first accused is Peethambaran, a member of the CPM Periya Local Committee.

CBI looking for
The CBI needs to prove that the murder was committed with three machetes and five iron rods seized by the crime branch. The forensic surgeon who performed the postmortem could not examine the weapons. The first forensic report was that the seized weapons were not used in the murder.

The crime branch has found that the two Youth Congress activists were killed in retaliation for the attack on Peethambaran by one of the victims. According to their parents, the murders were planned by political leaders.

The High Court held that the crime branch conducted a politically biased and unreliable investigation based on the statements of the accused.