The family of Manaf Pallipparamban, a Youth League worker who was murdered at Othayi near Edavanna 25 years ago, staged a dharna in front of the collectorate here on Wednesday, demanding that the government honour the High Court directive by appointing a special prosecutor in the case.
The family accused the government of protecting the culprits in the case. P.V. Anvar, MLA, was one of the 21 accused who were exonerated by the trial court after the main witness turned hostile.
Mr. Anvar’s nephew Shafeek Malangadan, 50, the prime accused in the case, was arrested at Karipur airport when he returned from the UAE a few days ago. Shafeek had escaped to the Gulf soon after the murder and returned after 25 years.
Inaugurating the dharna on Wednesday, Youth League State general secretary P.K. Firos warned the government that it would have to answer for the suffering of Manaf’s family. He said it was a fight between justice and injustice. “Every human being has the responsibility to stand with the family of the man brutally eliminated by a gang,” he said.
V.D. Sateeshan, V.T. Balram, MLAs; and activists C.R. Neelakandan and K.M. Shajahan addressed the dharna online.
