By Md Ali, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: In another blow to Sangh Parivar 13 persons reportedly associated with RSS and BJP were on Monday convicted and awarded rigorous imprisonment for their role in a bomb blast in 2000 at Cheruvanchery in Northern Kerala district of Kannur.
They have been convicted for 5-10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined from Rs 25000-85000.
The additional district and session Judge B Ramakant convicted N Ramachandran (36), one of the thirteen accused, for 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 50000 as fine. The rest 12 have been convicted for 5 years of RI and a fine of Rs 25000 each.
What is noteworthy is that one of the convicts Ashokan alias Aezeekodan is currently district secretary of BJP. He has been convicted for 5 years of RI and Rs 25000 in fine.
According to Ahmad Shareef, Resident Editor of the Malyalam daily Thejas, Ashokan still holds the post in the BJP.
Although the BJP adopted a posture of official denial but every body knows that these people were involved in the blast, he told TwoCircles.net.
After the revelations in the Malegaon blast case in which several Hindutva activists including a Sadhvi have been arrested, the Sangh Parivar was in defensive position on terrorism count.
Giving details of the blast, Shareef said that on September 27, 2000 there was a clash at a polling booth between the activists of the Congress and RSS in the Panchayat election of Patingram Panchayat constituency.
In order to frighten people and prevent them from voting the RSS activists threw a bomb in which three people were injured including a four year old girl Ashna who lost one of her legs forever. She was playing before the house the bomb was thrown at.
The court ordered that the amount collected in fines will be given to Ashna and her mother.
The case against Pradeep, the 14th accused, was dropped as he was killed along with another RSS activist on November 10, 2008 while making bombs in a temple in the same district.
Shareef pointed out that Kannur has a history of violent clashes between the activists of CPI-M and RSS – the two parties which have got stronghold in the district.
In the last two decade a number of people have been killed in political clashes in the district, he added.
Informing about the violent activities of the saffron group Shareef pointed out that RSS has been prepared as far as the violent attack is concerned.
Although there hasn’t been violent response by the group and its activists in the wake of the conviction of its activists, the recovery of 150 bombs from the RSS activists indicates they were preparing for violent clashes.
List of the 13 convicted RSS activists
1-Paray Purushu (42)
2 Damodaran (53)
3. Ashokan (44)
4-Prakashan (44)
5-Pramod (33)
6-Dasan (33)
7-N Ramachandran (36)
8-Vinod (33)
9-Rahgu (35)
10-Rameshan (34)
11-Chandran (51)
12-Ashokan (45)
13-Balakrishnan (48)