Onchiyam case: weapons identified

‘The accused had hidden the swords in a well behind a vehicle service station at Chokli.’

Two prosecution witnesses in the T. P. Chandrasekharan murder case, during their deposition before the trial court on Tuesday, identified the swords used by a seven-member gang for hacking to death the Revolutionary Marxist Party leader at Onchiyam near Vadakara on May 4, 2012.

Both of them, T. Rajesh, who is engaged in digging wells and S. Sasidharan Pillai, junior superintendent, Thalassery Taluk office, also identified the accused M.K. Pradeepan aka Lambu, who had hidden the swords in a well behind a vehicle service station at Chokli, Kannur district.

Their testified before R. Narayana Pisharadi, special judge, Special Additional District and Sessions Court (Marad cases). Special prosecutor C.K. Sreedharan examined the witnesses while defence counsels B. Raman Pillai and K. Gopala Kurup cross-examined them.

Rajesh said that the Thalassery police had on May 15, 2012, asked him to go to Chokli. He went in an autorickshaw carrying with him a motor and pump-set to the police station at 2.15 p.m. Afterwards the Thalassery Deputy Superintendent of Police A. P.Shoukath Ali led the team to Chokli at 3 p.m. After reaching the spot, Pradeepan directed them to the well where the swords had been hidden. The weapons were recovered from the well. Water samples were also collected in a plastic jar. The police then prepared a statement. Rajesh identified Pradeepan by touching him when all the accused were paraded inside the court hall.

During cross-examination, he denied that he had been an active member of the BJP. However, he admitted that he had been named accused along with four others in a case of attacking workers of the CPI(M).

Testifying before the court, Sasidharan Pillai said that the Tahsildar had instructed him to go to Thalassery office along with Shaleesh, upper division clerk in his office, to Thalassery police station on May 15, 2012. From there, they were taken in a vehicle to Chokli. There was a person along with the Dy.SP. and other police personnel. Later, he understood it was Pradeepan.

After reaching the Chokli Medical Centre, Pradeepan led them to a spot from where a cardboard piece was recovered from the mud. This was handed over to the scientific assistant and later to the Dy.SP. Later they proceeded to the eastern side of the road and went behind a workshop. Then Pradeepan pointed to a well and said “it is in it.”