19 Campus Front Activists Acquitted in ABVP Worker Vishal Murder Case
ALAPPUZHA: A Mavelikkara Additional Sessions Court has acquitted 19 Campus Front activists who were accused in the murder case of Vishal, a former ABVP worker from Chengannur. The verdict was pronounced by Judge Pooja P.P., marking the conclusion of a trial that spanned 13 years.
The court cited the prosecution’s failure to sufficiently prove the charges against the accused as the reason for the acquittal. A significant point of controversy during the trial was the changing of statements by several witnesses, including activists from SFI and KSU, student organizations that are rivals to ABVP.
The Campus Front, which was the student wing of the now-banned Popular Front, was proscribed along with its parent organization in 2022 by the Indian government. All 20 individuals originally accused in the case, including one who was a minor at the time of the incident, were out on bail during the proceedings.
The murder dates back to July 16, 2012, when Vishal, a 19-year-old first-year degree student at Konni NSS College and an active ABVP worker in Chengannur, was fatally stabbed. The attack occurred when Vishal attended an event organized by ABVP at Christian College, intended to welcome new first-year students as part of their organizational activities. Critically injured in the attack, Vishal succumbed to his wounds the very next day, July 17, while receiving treatment at the hospital.
Approximately ten other ABVP activists, including Vishnuprasad and Sreejith, also sustained injuries in the violent assault. Initially, the local police investigated the case. However, following complaints regarding delays in arresting the culprits, the investigation was transferred to the State Crime Branch. The arrest of 20 individuals, including a minor, followed. The alteration of testimonies by KSU and SFI activists, who were key witnesses from the campus, had previously sparked considerable debate and controversy during the course of the trial.