January 7, 2025: A Thalassery court on Tuesday sentenced nine Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers to life imprisonment for the murder of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] worker Rijith Sankaran in 2005. The verdict comes nearly two decades after the politically charged crime in Kerala's Kannur district, known for its history of clashes between the RSS and CPI(M).

Rijith Sankaran, a 25-year-old CPI(M) member from Kannapuram Chunda, was brutally attacked on October 3, 2005, near a temple in Chunda. The attack, carried out by a group of RSS workers armed with weapons, occurred during a period of heightened political tension in the region. Rijith, who was ambushed while walking home with friends, succumbed to his injuries, while three others sustained serious injuries in the assault.

On January 4, the Additional District Sessions Court in Thalassery found nine of the 10 accused guilty of the crime. The tenth accused had died in a road accident during the lengthy judicial process. Those convicted include Sudhakaran (57), Jayesh (41), Ranjith (44), Ajeendran (51), Anilkumar (52), Rajesh (46), Sreekanth (47), Sreejith (43), and Bhaskaran (67).

The court convicted the men under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 302 (murder), Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 143 (unlawful assembly), Section 147 (rioting), Section 341 (wrongful restraint), and Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt with weapons).

The case highlighted the enduring political rivalry in Kannur, where violent clashes between the RSS and CPI(M) have claimed numerous lives over the years. The sentencing serves as a stark reminder of the region's troubled history and the need for lasting political reconciliation.