Parole at will? Why TP case convicts spend more time outside jail, ridiculing system?
Thiruvananthapuram: Even after he was murdered around 12 years ago, Revolutionary Marxist Party leader TP Chandrasekharan continues to pose problems for the CPM and LDF government. The recent reply given by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to Congress senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has put the government in a bad light, due to the leniency shown towards the TP case convicts, exposing the soft approach and attitude of the government towards them.
It was a blatant act of political intolerance when Kerala woke up on May 5, 2012, to the shocking news of the heinous murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader TP Chandrasekharan. He was murdered in the night by a killer gang on May 4, 2012. TP had been waging a courageous, determined battle against the formidable CPM in Onchiyam, one of the party's strongholds in Northern Kerala, after walking out of the party in protest against the leadership's stance on certain local issues.
TP’s party, RMP, was causing problems for the CPM in Vadakara and nearby areas as he was an influential and charismatic young leader who enjoyed considerable clout among the liberal youth of the region. The cold-blooded murder had shaken the conscience of political Kerala, and the UDF government, which was in power at the time, launched a relentless investigation to nab the hired assassins. As a result, the special investigation team arrested the six persons directly involved in the attack, along with many others who participated in the heinous act, including those involved in the conspiracy.
Even after the accused were convicted, the murder of TP and the convictions of those involved have remained in the news for various reasons due to the political impact of the issue.
Now, the reply given by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in the assembly regarding the parole granted to the TP case convicts, whom the court had stated deserve no remission while announcing a life sentence for their heinous crime, has raised further questions. It was during the assembly session held in October that Thiruvanchoor asked the Chief Minister how many days the TP convicts had been granted parole during the LDF government’s rule.
The reply given by the CM to Thiruvanchoor sheds light on the attitude and approach of the LDF government towards the TP case convicts, as three persons have been granted more than 1,000 days of parole since Pinarayi’s LDF government came to power in the state in 2016. The CM said that three persons—KC Ramachandran (1,081 days), Trouser Manoj (1,068 days), and Annan Sajith (1,078 days)—have received more than 1,000 days of parole. In addition, six others have been granted more than 500 days, including Kirmani Manoj (851 days), MC Anoop (900 days), TK Rajeesh (940 days), PV Rafeeq (782 days), K Shinoj (925 days), and KK Muhammad Shafi (656 days).
Interestingly, Kodi Suni has only been granted 60 days of parole during this period.
Last year, an attempt was made by the government to release the convicts by granting remission to their sentence period. However, following widespread protests from society and, to a great extent, from within the police, the government strategically shelved the move.