The CBI in its report submitted to the special CBI court of Ernakulam in Kerala on November 5 has reiterated that the workers of the RSS had no role in the murder of Muhammad Fasal. Fasal, a newspaper vendor was hacked to death on October 22, 2006, near a mosque in Thalassery. Fasal, a native of Madapedika from Kodiyeri was the former CPI (M) activist. He was allegedly murdered by CPI (M) activists after he had joined the National Development Front (now Popular Front of India).
The CBI which arrested and charge-sheeted two CPI (M) leaders and their six associated in this murder case, launched a fresh probe on the order of Kerala high court following a twist in this case after Kerala police claimed that an RSS worker Kuppi Subeesh has confessed his involvement in Fasal murder case.
Reiterating its earlier probe, the CBI has said that two CPI (M) leaders from the Kannur district of Kerala namely Karayi Rajan and Karayi Chandrasekharan had planned this political murder. On their instruction, the gang led by M. K. Sunil Kumar alias Kodi Suni executed the murder. Accused Kodi Suni was also convicted in the case of the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T P. Chandrasekharan who was brutally murdered on May 4, 2012.
CBI discards Kerala police theory
As far as the confession of an RSS worker, Kuppi Subeesh about his involvement in this murder is concerned, the CBI has told the court that Kerala police had forced Subeesh to make a confession while he was in police custody. In 2016 Kuppi Subeesh was arrested in another political murder case lodged at Koothuparamba police station. Kuppi Subeesh said that he was subjected to brutal torture for two days at Azhikal Coast Guard Station, Kannur, by two Dy SPs. Police forced him to make the confession that he had three other RSS workers–Praneesh, Mahe, Prabeesh Kumar, Chembra, and Shinoj had killed Fasal. He, later on, retracted his alleged confession and said that he was implicated to save CPI (M) leaders.
On this the single bench of Kerala High Justice Ashok Menon in July this year directed the CBI to look into the evidence. It said, “It may be true that the CBI may not be satisfied with the materials now collected by the local police during the investigation in some other case involving Subeesh. But there is no harm in examining those materials also, as a part of a further investigation under section 173(8) Cr. P.C,” the court said.
Kerala police and government had tried to derail the probe
The CBI took over the investigation of this case on a directive of the High Court on a plea by the victim’s widow Mariyu since she was not satisfied with the police investigation. Both government and police made blatant attempts to hush up the case to shield CPI (M) cadres.
A former investigating officer of this case DSP K. Radhakrishnan said that CPI (M) had turned hostile Fasal as he was attracted young Muslims to join the National Development Front. Radhakrishnan who had investigated this case at the initial stage pointed fingers at CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who was the home minister at that time.
Radhakrishnan said that he had gathered evidence that proved Fasal’s murder was a decision of CPI(M). He said that Kodiyeri had called him to close the inquiry as soon as he came to know the investigation inching close to Karayis and other CPI (M) cadres. Radhakrishnan was removed from the probe. Valsaraja Kurup, who had provided key evidence of this case, was murdered later on. The officer was also brutally assaulted by the CPI (M)-DYFI workers when he was posted as DSP, Taliparamba. He was booked in a case.
