Two SDPI workers get life imprisonment for murder of Muslim League activist

Kozhikode, Dec 1: A local court has sentenced two convicts to life imprisonment and imposed Rs 1 lakh fine in connection with the coldblooded murder of Nasiruddin Azeez, who was a Muslim Youth League (MYL) activist.

The convicts are Kappacherry Basheer and Kollayil Andru, who were first and second accused respectively in the case. According to police, both of them are activists of Social Democratic Party of India. Basheer had even contested as SDPI candidate in the last local body election.

22-year-old Nasiruddin Azeez was murdered in front of the Salafi Masjid at Puthalath in Velom grama panchayat in mid 2016. The assailants blocked Nasiruddin, who was riding pillion on a bike and stabbed him on his chest and back.

According to investigators, active resistance against SDPI and extremist propaganda by Nasiruddin led to his murder.

There were seven suspects in the case and all of them were SDPI workers and supporters, according to police. However, the Kozhikode Additional Sessions Court (I) acquitted five of them for lack of evidence and convicted only first two accused.

The victim’s father K P Aziz has expressed satisfaction over the verdict. The court examined 37 witnesses. The testimony of the victim’s cousin Abdul Rauf turned crucial during the trial.

C K Sreedharan, who was special prosecutor in the case, argued that the SDPI workers had killed the young MYL worker due to political animosity. “The verdict should open the eyes of the SDPI top leadership which claimed to protect the rights of minorities,” he said.