P Jayarajan accused in Manoj murder case

KANNUR: The CBI has arraigned CPM district secretary P. Jayarajan as the 25th accused in the murder of RSS local leader t E. Manoj under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.  

In the charge-sheet submitted at Thalasserry district and sessions court on Thursday, the CBI said that Jayarajan had personal and political enmity towards Manoj unlike the other accused.  Jayarajan was the chief conspirator in the murder. “The murder took place on the orders of Mr Jayarajan”, says the charge-sheet.

Manoj, the district sharirik shikshan pramukh, was the fifth accused in the case related to the murder bid on Jayarajan in 1999.  Manoj was murdered in Kathirur near Thalasserry on September 1, 2014.

According to the CBI, the first accused, Vikraman, had close ties with Mr Jayarajan.

Mr Jayarajan had rung up Vikraman before the murder and calls were made between Jayarajan and CPM worker Krishnan before and after the murder.

Krishnan brought Vikraman to Kannur after the murder. The vehicle which followed Vikraman and Krishnan to Kannur was in the name of Mr Jayarajan.

CPM Payyannur area secretary T.I.  Madhusoodhanan is the 20th accused in the case.

Sources said Mr Jayarajan was likely to move an anticipatory bail petition on Friday in the aftermath of his advance bail petitions being rejected twice because he was not an accused and because non-bailable section under UAPA was involved.

Mr Jayarajan, the first prominent politician to be arraigned under UAPA, is now at the CPM-controlled A.K.G hospital in Kannur. He was admitted on Monday after the court dismissed his bail application the second time.

The CPM reacted strongly to the CBI move, alleging that it was dancing to BJP’s tune at the Centre and that attempts to frame Mr Jayarajan had strengthened in view of the ensuing Assembly polls.