Onchiyam case: eyewitness re-examined

Rameshan last examined in February

The re-examination of one of the eyewitnesses, T.P. Rameshan, alias Dineshan, in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case was held at the Special Additional District and Sessions Court (Marad cases) here on Tuesday.

Deposing before the special judge R. Narayana Pisharadi, he reiterated that the assailants had hacked Chandrasekharan with long swords and hurled bombs soon after the attack. They came in a Toyota Innova Multi Utility Vehicle from behind.

At that time, Mr. Chandrasekharan was just five feet away from the spot where a country bomb exploded, Rameshan said. Three of the seven assailants were flashing swords in the air.

He had passed on the information about the assailants to the police after that. Investigators had recorded his statement on May 9 and 15 and again on June 22, 2012. He denied that he had identified the fourth and fifth accused for the first time at the office of the Vadakara Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The case pertains to a gang allegedly hired by a section of leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] hacking to death the Revolutionary Marxist Party leader at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012.

Rameshan had earlier swooned in the court hall during cross-examination by defence counsels on February 15. The defence counsels had then raised an allegation that the prosecution witness had come to the court in a drunken state. He was subjected to medical examination following a direction from the court.

But the doctors who examined Rameshan gave a report that he was not under the influence of alcohol. They had advised rest for stress and heart complaints all these days.

Earlier examination

Previously, Rameshan had told the court that Chandrasekharan had been killed by a seven-member gang. He had also identified the accused, material objects including swords, and the Toyota Innova car used by the assailants.

Special Public Prosecutors C. K. Sreedharan and P. Kumarankutty were present in court while defence counsels B. Raman Pillai and K. Gopalakrishna Kurup cross-examined the witness.