Newly Elected BJP Councillor Sent to Jail Before Oath in 2007 Thalassery Attack Case

Thalassery: Justice has finally been delivered, 18 years after a brutal attack on a municipal councillor and his family in Thalassery. The incident occurred around midnight on December 7, 2007, when the accused first hurled a bomb to create panic and then broke into the house, attempting to murder Thalassery Municipal Councillor P Rajesh, his brother P Ranjith, and their paternal aunt Chandramathi.

Rajesh was brutally hacked all over his body and left for dead by the attackers. He survived only because he received immediate medical attention. Ranjith and Chandramathi were injured while trying to stop the assault on Rajesh. Rajesh’s father Lakshmanan, a CPI(M) worker, and his mother were not at home at the time of the attack.

Rajesh had won the Kommalvayal ward in the 2005 local body elections by defeating the BJP candidate by 102 votes as a CPI(M) nominee. Following this defeat, RSS workers allegedly targeted him, leading to the attack.

The court convicted 10 BJP–RSS workers, including a newly elected municipal councillor, in the case. Thalassery Additional Assistant Sessions Judge M. Shruthi sentenced each of the accused to a total of 36 years and six months of imprisonment and imposed a fine of 1,08,000 rupees on each. The court ordered that half of the fine amount be paid to the injured Rajesh and the remaining half be distributed between the injured Ranjith and Chandramathi.

Those convicted include BJP-nominated councillor Uppetta Prashanth (49) of Mayilatil House, Kommalvayal; Radhakrishnan (54) of Mathilthazhe, Kommalvayal; Radhakrishnan (52) of Rajashree Bhavan, Chettiyantavida; P. V. Suresh (50); N. C. Prashobh (40); Jijesh alias Unni (42); K. Sudheesh alias Muthu (42); Prajeesh alias Prajootti (45); O. C. Rupesh; and Manoj (40). There were originally 11 accused in the case, but one of them, Manoj of Kattilparambath, Madappetika, died during the trial.

Jailed Before Taking Oath

In a dramatic turn of events, the latest election to the Kommalvayal ward witnessed a contest between P Ranjith, who had suffered serious injuries in the attack, and the prime accused Uppetta Prashanth. Prashanth won the seat by 121 votes, retaining it for the BJP. However, the court verdict went against him in the attempted murder case.

The newly elected councillor was sentenced to 36 and a half years in prison along with a fine, and was taken to jail before he could take the oath of office. The police had registered the FIR based on a complaint filed by the wife of the injured Ranjith.