4 RMP men held for setting fire to flower shop at Orkatteri

Edachery police on Thursday arrested four RMP activists in the case pertaining to setting ablaze the flower shop where the plot to kill T P Chandrasekharan was hatched, at Orkatteri in Vadakara.

Police said, Manoj,36, a Jinith, 21, of Thirumunpil Kuniyaparambath House, Sabeesh, 29, of Njeralattu House, and Jijil, 23, Ottakandathil House, all Orkatteri natives, were arrested for setting fire to the flower shop owned by CPM Orkatteri local committee member Padayankandi Raveendran, in retaliation to the murder of TP. Earlier, Vadakara DySP Jossy Cheriyan had summoned the four persons for interrogation. The variances in the statements made by the four persons led to the arrest and all of them admitted the crime in further questioning, the police said.

They were charged under Sections 436,153 and 120 b of the IPC. They would be produced before the Vadakara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Friday.

On October 21 night, the flower shop at Orkatteri caught fire in mysterious circumstances. From the preliminary inquiry itself, it was  clear that the incident was not accidental. The four set fire to the shop after pouring petrol through the ventilator of the building around 10.30pm. Police also seized the bikes in which belong to the accused.

As per the preliminary interrogation, it is clear that the RMP leaders were unaware of the act by the four persons. Police added that they were ardent fans of TP and the grudge towards the CPM motivated them to do this.

According to the charge sheet filed by the SIT, CPM district secretariat member P Mohanan, along with local party leaders C H Asokan, K C Ramachandran and K K Krishnan decided to kill Chandrasekharan at a meeting in the flower shop of Padayankandi Raveendran at Orkatteri on April 2, 2012.

“With the consent of Mohanan, CPM Onchiyam Area Committee secretary C H Ashokan and member K K Krishnan held discussions with Kunnummakkara local committee member K C Ramachandran at the flower shop of Padayankandi Raveendran on April 2, 2012 between 3.15 pm and 3.45 pm and entrusted Ramachandran with the duty of executing the operation,” the chargesheet added.