The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday submitted its revised chargesheet in the case relating to the near-fatal attack on Kollam-based journalist V.B. Unnithan.
It has named six persons, including two police officers, as accused in the attempted murder case. The policemen are P. N. Abdul Rasheed, SP, Crime Branch, and Santosh Nair, Dy.SP.
The others are “Punchiri” Mahesh, V.R.Anand, S. Shafeeq, and R. Santosh Kumar, all persons with a dubious police record and allegedly beholden to the indicted police officers.
The CBI has charged them with attempted murder, destruction of evidence, and conspiracy under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
In 2011
An armed gang travelling on motorbikes had ambushed Mr. Unnithan on his way home on the night of April 16, 2011. He sustained grievous injuries in the attack.
The CBI’s case was that Mr. Unnithan’s incisive newspaper reports about how a coterie of law enforcement officers had turned a government guest house into their private drinking saloon had enraged the accused policemen. They engaged the other accused to harm Mr. Unnithan. The journalist had also highlighted the illegal construction of a resort owned by some nominees of the suspect police officers.
The agency cited 174 persons as witnesses in the case. It submitted 148 documents as evidence.