14 covicted in Marad riot case in Kerala

Kozhikode: A Special Court here today convicted 14 persons, including Hindu Aikyavedi Kerala unit General Secretary T Suresh, and acquitted one in the first Marad violence that claimed five lives in the coastal village in Kozhikode district of Kerala, nine years ago.

Apart from Suresh (54), Special Judge K P Prasanna Kumari found Thekkethodi Sreedharan (50), Korantakath Vibeesh (34), Thekkethodi Shaji (36), Choyichantakath Ranjith (39), Choyichantakath Kalesh alias Krishna Kumar (30), Kelappantakath Ranjithan alias Sajeevan (34), Apathanpurayil Vijeesh (32), Thekkethodi Prahladan (36), Kelappanthakath Rajesh (35), Eecharantepurayil Sasi (43), Cheriyapurayil Vinodan (27), Arayachantakath Manikandan (34) and Thekkethodi Vijith (30) guilty of murdering Thekkepurath Aboobacker in the wee hours of January 4, 2002.

The five among the 14 were convicted under IPC 326 for grievously injuring him and the remaining under IPC 326 for murder, the judge said in her ruling.

However, the court acquitted Kothantakath Suresh as the prosecution failed to prove charges against him.

Quantum of punishment in the case would be pronounced on March 19, the court said.

The Judge had earlier awarded different quantum of punishment to many people in separate cases in this connection.

As a sequel to the first violence, nine people were killed in the second Marad riot in the predominently fishermen inhabited village a year later.