Twenty-three years after the politically sensitive Muthanga tribal agitation, a sessions court in Kerala on Friday acquitted 35 accused, including M Geethanandan, in the 2003 murder of police constable KV Vinod, holding that the prosecution and the CBI failed to prove charges of criminal conspiracy and murder beyond reasonable doubt.
Pronouncing the verdict, Sessions Judge E Ayyoob Khan observed that the prosecution had not been able to conclusively establish the murder charge. The court noted that while evidence suggested a single individual was responsible for Vinod’s killing, that accused had died during the prolonged trial, weakening the case against the remaining accused.
However, in a connected case relating to the assault on police officer Abdul Salam during the same incident, the court convicted four individuals — M Geethanandan, Binu, Rameshan Koyyalipura and Anil Kumar — and sentenced them to five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000 each.
The court also ordered compensation under the victim compensation scheme, directing Rs 7 lakh to the family of the slain constable, Rs 3 lakh to injured officer Abdul Salam, and Rs 2 lakh to forest official Sasidharan, who was also affected during the violence.
Rejecting the prosecution’s claims of a larger conspiracy, the court held that the CBI failed to substantiate its argument that the accused had assembled with weapons as part of an organised plan to attack police and forest officials. It specifically ruled that the conspiracy charge against Geethanandan could not be sustained.
The accused had originally faced a range of serious charges, including murder, attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, and encroachment into reserved forest land. The CBI had consolidated four separate cases arising from the Muthanga violence into a single investigation before filing its chargesheet.
The incident dates back to February 19, 2003, during the tenure of the A K Antony-led government. The Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha, led by C K Janu and Geethanandan, had launched an agitation demanding land rights for landless tribal communities by occupying parts of the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad.
The government’s eviction drive led to violent clashes between police and protesters. During the confrontation, constable Vinod was allegedly taken hostage and assaulted, later succumbing to his injuries. A tribal protester, Jogi, was killed in police firing, while several others on both sides sustained injuries. Allegations that no proper investigation was conducted into Jogi’s death continue to be raised.
The case underwent multiple stages of investigation, beginning with the local police, then the Crime Branch, and eventually the CBI. Trial proceedings initially started in a CBI court before being transferred to the Kalpetta Sessions Court, where the full trial began in 2016.
During the course of the trial, the court examined 103 documentary exhibits, 13 material objects, and recorded testimonies from 47 witnesses. It also noted significant delays in producing all the accused before the court. Fifteen accused died during the pendency of the trial, with the court observing that their deaths were not promptly reported.
The Muthanga agitation remains one of Kerala’s most significant tribal rights movements, and the events surrounding it—including the deaths, the police action, and the prolonged legal battle—have continued to fuel political and human rights debates in the state for over two decades.
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