The Alleppey Bar Association of the Alappuzha District of Kerala has decided to abstain from Court proceedings today in protest against the brutal killing of its member, Advocate Ranjith Sreenivasan on Sunday morning.

In a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Association convened on Sunday night, the Committee, on behalf of the Association has demanded that the Police convene a Special Investigative Team to investigate the killing of Ranjith Sreenivasan.

The Committee has also decided that no member of the Alappuzha Bar will appear for those accused of the killing.

Killing of Advocate Ranjith Sreenivasan

Advocate Ranjith Sreenivasan was an active member of the Alleppey Bar Association. He was the State Secretary of the OBC Morcha of Bharatiya Janata Party, Kerala state unit. Earlier, he was the District Secretary of Bharathiya Abhibashaka Parishad, the Kerala chapter of the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad.

It is learned that on Sunday morning, a twelve-member group of assailants allegedly belonging to SDPI, the political outfit of the Popular Front of India, arrived at the residence of Ranjith Sreenivasan. His door was not locked, as one of his two daughters had just gone out to attend tuition.

Ranjith was sitting inside the house, reading a newspaper, when the assailants opened the door and entered the house. One of the assailants hit on Ranjith's face with a hammer. As he fell, the other assailants started hacking him with swords.

When Ranjith's mother came running, she was stopped and made to stand and watch her son being killed. One of the assailants had held a sword to her neck.

When his wife a daughter tried to protect him, the wife was hit and kicked as she fell. One of the assailants swung a sword at the minor daughter of Ranjith, but missed.

It is reported that Ranjith was brought dead to the hospital. His face had been smashed beyond recognition using a hammer. His neck had almost been severed.

Restrictions were imposed invoking Section 144 of CrPC by the district administration in Alappuzha District on Sunday.

It is reported that the killing of Ranjith was in retaliation to the killing of the state Secretary of the SDPI, KS Shan, on Saturday evening.

Ranjith's body will be brought to the Alappuzha District Court complex today for members of the Bar to pay their last respect and thereafter taken to his house and then for cremation.

Verdictum News Desk