Author:
Publication: English.Mathrubhumi.com
Date: April 21, 2018
URL:      http://english.mathrubhumi.com/amp/news/kerala/divakaran-murder-case-former-cpm-local-secretary-sentenced-to-death-1.2756734?__twitter_impression=true

Alappuzha: A sessions court here awarded death sentence to former CPM local secretary R Baiju in the Cherthala Divakaran murder case.

Baiju, who is the 6th accused in the case, was the former local secretary of the CPM in Cherthala.

Five other accused in the case have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Congress leader Divakaran was killed in 2009.

The court had earlier found V Sujith, S Satheesh Kumar, P Praveen, M Benny, N Sethukumar and R Baiju as accused in the case.

The court found that Baiju was the main conspirator in the case. Sethukumar, who was the driver of a Kerala actress known as the lady superstar of South India, was also named accused in the case.

The rest of the accused were awarded life imprisonment.

A dispute relating to the sale of coir mats as part of a project of Coir Corporation led to the murder.

The team comprising R Baiju, who was the former local secretory of the CPM at Cherthala West and chairman of the standing committee of public works at Cherthala Municipality, had visited Divakarans house for selling coir mats. However, Divakaran did not buy the coir mats saying the price was high. The team forcefully kept the coir mats at Divakarans house.

Divakarans son Dileep raised the issue at the 'Ayal Sabha' held in the afternoon the same day.

The case is that Divakarans house was attacked taking vengeance against this.

Divakaran died after being hit on the head by a wooden log. Dileep and his wife who tried to prevent the attack were also injured.