Thimri bomb attack: 10 CPM workers sentenced for attacking RSS-BJP cadres

Kannur: A sessions court here on Saturday sentenced 10 CPM cadres, including a panchayat member, for varying jail terms under different sections for a total of 25 years for attempting to murder RSS-BJP workers by throwing a bomb at their vehicle at Thimiri in Nov 2011.Taliparamba additional district and sessions judge Prasanth K N sentenced the 10 under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosives Act, said public prosecutor U Rameshan.The court directed that the second accused T V Binu would have to serve the sentences consecutively, as he was the one who threw the bomb, and therefore, he will remain in jail for 25 years, the prosecutor said.The remaining nine persons — P V Baburaj, who is Alakode panchayat member representing Thimri ward, M K Pradeep Kumar, P P Sathyan, E V Vinod Kumar, Paleri Vijayan, K P Suresh, Toby, Janardhanan K V, Sivaprakash — were sentenced to 10 years in prison. All sentences of the nine convicts will run concurrently. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.6 lakh on each accused.The court's order comes after it found that the prosecution had established the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The court found that the accused, armed with deadly weapons, had repeatedly hurled bombs at BJP-RSS workers on a public road, even in the presence of police.The incident took place near Thimiri College in the hill panchayat of Alakode in Kannur on Nov 27, 2011. According to the prosecution, CPM and BJP activists had clashed on Nov 26, 2011. The violence had erupted following heated arguments in connection with the establishment of an RSS shakha in the area. Many BJP workers were injured in the clash and admitted to a hospital in Cherupuzha. After treatment, when BJP workers were bringing home the injured ones from hospital, bombs were hurled at their vehicle by the accused. According to the prosecution, there were 30 workers in the vehicle, and nine of them were seriously injured in the attack.Kannur has long been a flashpoint of political rivalry between CPM cadres and BJP-RSS workers, marked by cycles of retaliatory violence over decades.Observers say the judgment sends a clear signal that acts of political violence, regardless of affiliation, will invite severe legal consequences, reinforcing the rule of law in a region long troubled by partisan conflict.(With inputs from agencies)