CHENNAI: A decade after a Hindu Munnani leader was chased and hacked to death in Coimbatore, triggering communal tensions and allegations of ‘Saffron killing’, four people accused in the murder were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Special Court for NIA Cases in Chennai on Friday.

The court acquitted Abu alias Syed Abuthagir (accused number 1) of all charges framed against him, while convicting Saddam alias Saddam Hussain, Subair, Mubarak alias Md Mubarak, and Mohamed Rafiqul Hussain alias Hassan, the second to fifth accused in the case, on all charges.

The court subsequently sentenced the four accused to life imprisonment.

Sasikumar was returning home on a two-wheeler near Thudiyalur on September 22, 2016, when he was chased and attacked with sickles, suffering multiple cut injuries. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital.

The assassination triggered widespread communal tension and violent protests, including arson, rioting, and stone-pelting, across Coimbatore over the subsequent two days.

The case was initially probed by local police and then the CB-CID, and Abu and Mubarak were arrested during the course of the investigation. However, the Union government stepped in and got it transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to media reports from the period, the Union Home Affairs Ministry felt that the State police did not invoke the proper sections of law and also that the investigation was not carried out in a proper manner.

During the probe, the NIA revealed in court that the murder was a case of mistaken identity. The intended target was another Hindu Munnani functionary from Theni, who shared the exact same name and initials as the victim, and had posted an allegedly communal comment on Facebook.

The case was heard by the Special Court for NIA Cases, Chennai. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court pronounced its judgment on Friday.