By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: The Special Court (Marad) yesterday ordered a rigorous imprisonment of five years for five persons, accused to have set a house ablaze during the Marad Clashes of 2002. The convicts have also been fined for Rs 13000 each. The third accused in the case was sentenced for rigorous imprisonment of three years as he was found to be a heart patient.
Judge KP Prasannakumari gave the judgement in the case of attacking and setting ablaze the house of Pareechantakath Kunhumol during the clashes. The convicts are Thammakkarante Purayil Babu (45) and brother Pramod (39), Arayachantakath Prasanth (31) and brother Sanathanan (29) and Choyichantakath Manoj (39).
The third accused Thammakkarante Purayil Pushkaran (45) also should pay a fine of Rs 13,000. Pushkaran was given bail by the court yesterday. All the other accused were taken to Viyyur Central Jail in Thrissur.
The incident related to the case took place in the night of January 3, 2002. The prosecution accuses that the convicts barged into the house of Kunhumol and robbed of items including gold ornaments before setting the house ablaze. The destruction made was worth about Rs 2 lakhs, says the chargesheet reportedly. The convicts have been accused of several cases like attacking a house, fomenting communal tensions etc. The punishment was given as per IPC143, 148, 436 and 153.
Communal clashes led to the death of five persons in the coastal village of Marad in Kozhikode district in January 2002. Several houses were set ablaze and looted by miscreants.