NIA Court Sentences Four PFI Members to Life Imprisonment in Sasikumar Murder Case

Chennai, Sept 25 : A Special Court for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases in Poonamallee, Chennai, has sentenced four members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of Hindu Munnani spokesperson C. Sasikumar in Coimbatore.

 

 

The convicted individuals Sadam Hussain, Subair, Mubarak and Mohammad Rafiqul Hassan were each sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs. 30,000. The NIA said the verdict is its first conviction involving PFI operatives since the organisation was banned by the Government of India.

 

Sasikumar, the Coimbatore district spokesperson of Hindu Munnani, was attacked while returning home on a two-wheeler near Thudiyalur on September 22, 2016. He suffered multiple injuries and later died while undergoing treatment.

 

 

The murder led to widespread tension and violence in Coimbatore and other parts of Tamil Nadu, with more than 300 FIRs registered following the incident. The case was initially investigated by the local police and later by the CB-CID before being transferred to the NIA in January 2018.

 

According to the NIA, its investigation established that the accused had entered into a criminal conspiracy and carried out the killing as a targeted attack intended to create fear and trigger communal unrest. The agency subsequently filed a charge sheet and two supplementary charge sheets against five accused.

 

 

The trial began in 2019, during which 75 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses were examined. The four accused were convicted under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

 

The court, however, acquitted one of the five accused, Abu alias Syed Abuthagir. The NIA said it is reviewing the judgment and examining legal options to challenge the acquittal before the appellate court.