THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI has revived investigations into murder of Muslim Student Federation (MSF) worker Ariyil Shukkoor. A team from CBI Thiruvananthpauram unit took the statement of a journalist who was present at the Thaliparamba Cooperative Hospital on the day when Shukkoor was murdered allegedly by CPM workers on February 20, 2012. The CBI official wanted to know if the journalist overheard CPM district secretary P. Jayarajan and T.V. Rajesh MLA planning the attack on Shukkoor while they were at hospital.
However, the journalist told them that there were lot of people in the room at that time and he didn’t hear anything. Jayarajan and Rajesh had had come to the cooperative hospital to seek treatment after their vehicle was attacked allegedly by Muslim League workers. The CBI charge was that both the leaders were aware of the plan to attack Shukkoor, but they didn’t prevent it. Shukkoor’s mother P.C. Athikka had filed a petition in High Court following which the CBI probe was ordered.
As per the chargesheet filed on August 23, 2012, CPM workers reached one Muhammad Kunhi’s house in Keezhara around 2.40 pm on February 20, 2012 with the plan to eliminate Shukkoor and four other Muslim League workers who were hiding in the house. The league workers had taken shelter in the house fearing an attack from a violent mob of CPM workers. Shukkoor was stabbed to death after one of the accused A.V. Babu identified his picture sent via cellphone. Babu later went into hiding.
The murder was in retaliation to the attack on the car of Jayarajan and T.V. Rajesh when they were on their way to Ariyil near Pattuvam where political clashes had created tension. All the accused in the case were either CPM workers or sympathisers. However, during the course of investigations prime witnesses P.P. Abu and Mohammad Sabir retracted their statements lending credence to CPM charge that their leaders were being framed.
