On Thursday, the Special Court for NIA cases in Poonamallee, Chennai, sentenced four members of the banned organization Popular Front of India (PFI) to life imprisonment. This ruling is connected to the murder of C. Sasikumar, who served as the spokesperson for Hindu Munnani in Coimbatore.
The case was initially registered at Thudiyalur Police Station, Coimbatore, and was later investigated by CB-CID, Tamil Nadu. On September 22, 2016, Sasikumar was hacked to death in Coimbatore. The incident sparked widespread violence across 6 districts, including Coimbatore City and Coimbatore Rural, prompting state authorities to register over 300 FIRs.
The targeted killing was executed with the clear intent to strike terror among a section of society and incite communal disruption across the region, it said.
Investigation established that the accused, being active members of PFI, entered into a criminal conspiracy and executed the targeted killing. The Special Court acquitted one co-accused, identified as Abu alias Syed Abuthagir. NIA is currently reviewing the judgment and exploring all available legal avenues to challenge the acquittal in the appellate court.
After meticulous investigation, NIA filed a charge sheet and 2 supplementary charge sheets against 5 accused persons. The trial commenced in 2019, during which 75 prosecution witnesses and 2 defence witnesses were examined. The trial has now culminated in the conviction of 4 accused for offences under sections 302, 120-B and 153-A of the IPC, and sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
