BJPs Ranjith Sreenivasan murder: A court in Kerala on Tuesday awarded the death penalty to 15 members of the now-banned Islamist group Popular Front of India (PFI) for the brutal murder of BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in December 2021. The sentence was pronounced by the Additional District Judge in Mavelikkara, V.G. Sreedevi. The prosecution had sought capital punishment for the convicts, arguing they were a trained killer squad whose cruelty makes this crime fall in the rarest of rare category warranting the death penalty.Sreenivasan, the state secretary of the BJPs OBC Morcha wing, was viciously attacked and killed in front of his family at his home on December 19, 2021. The attack was allegedly carried out by PFI and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activists. STORY | 14 PFI workers get death sentence in killing of BJP leader in KeralaREAD: https://t.co/UzIXJd81DdVIDEO: pic.twitter.com/PDwVg9423g— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 30, 2024The court had ruled on January 20th that eight of the 15 accused were directly involved in Sreenivasans murder. Additionally, four others were also found guilty of the killing because they came armed to the scene to prevent the victim from escaping and stop anyone from entering the house after hearing his screams.The prosecution said all 15 accused are equally culpable for the pre-planned murder, either through direct acts or under common criminal conspiracy. The court accepted this argument in handing down its harsh sentence.Ranjith Sreenivasan Murder CaseThe remaining three convicts were those who hatched the conspiracy to assassinate the BJP leader in retaliation for the murder of SDPI member K.S. Shan just hours earlier on December 18th in Alappuzha.Ranjiths killing in front of his mother, wife and infant was an act of retributive political violence between right-wing and Islamist groups. The brutal manner of the attack on the BJP leader was intended to spread terror. By awarding the death penalty, the court sent a strong message against such targeted political murders designed to spread hatred and fear in society. The verdict highlights that lawbreakers will face the full force of justice regardless of ideology or affiliation.
