Abhimanyu was a student activist stabbed to death in Maharajas College, Ernakulam on July 2, 2018. He was a student of BSc Chemistry. He was murdered by Campus Front of India, the students wing of Islamist organisation Popular Front of India. Abhimanyu was the youngest son of Manoharan and Bhoopathy two Tamil peasants from an Adivasi community in Vattavada. He was born on 23 July 1997. Parijith and Kowsalya are his siblings. His sister Kowsalya married Madhusudanan in a wedding attended by hundreds of students from Maharajas College. Abhimanyu was the Idukki District Committee member of the Students' Federation of India.
Death
Abhimanyu was murdered by a 16-member gang involving the activists of the Campus Front of India, Social Democratic Party of India and the Popular Front of India. He was just 20 year old at the time of his killing. According to the police reports, the murder was triggered after an argument between Students' Federation of India activists and Campus Front of India over sticking posters within the Maharajas campus. The space for painting the college walls was first booked by SFI activists. This led to the issues with CFI members. Abhimanyu painted graffiti on the campus walls to welcome the new batch of students and he wrote "down with communalism". This slogan provoked the Campus Front of India members. After the verbal argument CFI members returned to campus in the wee hours of July 2, 2018 with SDPI and PFI members and barged into the college hostel. Abhimanyu was held in position from behind and while another person stabbed him to death on the spot. An 19-year-old Arjun, a student of BA Philosophy also sustained severe injuries. He was admitted to the Ernakukulam Medical Trust Hospital and did undergo an emergency surgery. SFI observed a statewide strike protesting against the killing of their activist on July 2, 2018.
Aftermath
In his memory, the Abhimanyu Maharajas Library was set up in Vattavada panchayat. Students across India contributed books over courier. Students mobilised around10,000 books and enough funds for the construction of library.
Simon Britto, another student leader who was paralysed after getting stabbed by the members of KSU activists at Maharaja's College on October 14, 1983 wrote a book named "Maharaja's Abhimanyu". The book was published by handing over a copy of it to writer M K Sanu on October 14, 2019.
Prominent civil society activists and writers like Sunil P Ilayidom, Balachandran Chullikkad and M K Sanu paid tributes to Abhimanyu's memory in a function organised at Maharajas college on September 19, 2018. Writer M.K Sanu drew a parallel between Abhimanyu's murder and the chopping of Professor T J Joseph's hand by religious extremists at Thodupuzha Newman College. Balachandran Chullikad remarked that he was murdered for raising voice against communalism.
CPI build house for his family. The CPI collected Rs 3.10 crore as ‘Abhimanyu martyr fund’ to help Abhimanyu's family. A student training centre in his name was also initiated in Ernamkulam.
The college magazine of Sri Vivekananda Patana Kendram Arts and Science College, Nilambur was named as "Abhimayu". It included a poem dedicated to him and an article on his murder. On July 31, 2018, a group of Campus Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India activists entered the college and forcefully burned the College Magazine. Later Edakkara police filed FIR against seven SFI and SDPI activists.
Kerala Students Union opposed the building of Abhimayu Memorial inside Maharajas College. However, the memorial was build by Students Federation of India activists and was unveiled on July 2, 2019. This stirred controversy. Kochi Corporation ordered a probe to enquire whether the college had taken permission from the civic body before building the memorial.
Arrests
The Special Investigation Team of Kerala Police charge sheeted against 16 persons at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II in Ernakulam on September 24, 2018. The case was registered under Sections 142, 148, 323, 324, 307 and 302 read with 149 of the IPC at the Central police station, Ernakulam. Though 30 people are accused in the murder the chargesheet was filed only against those who directly participated in the crime. The following were named in the charge sheet: JI Muhammed, Arif Bin Salim, Mohammed Rifa, Jeffrey, Fazaluddin, Anas, Rajeeb, Abdul Rashid Saneesh, Adil Bin Salim, Bilal, Riyaz Hussain, Saneesh, Sharukh Amani, Abdul Nasser and Anup. After the murder police arrested around 20 people in the immediate days. However, the main accused Sahal Hamsa went into hiding for more than 2 years. Sahal who was staying at a hideout in Karnataka surrendered on 18th June 2020. According to Kerala Police, Sahal was alleged to have stabbed Abhimanyu and Mohammed Shahim was the man who stabbed Arjun. Muhammad Shaheem, the second accused who was also absconding, but surrendered in the court in November 2019. Shajahan was the one who planned the attack and Shiraz gave all necessary training to CFI workers. Rifa, a state level leader of CFI was arrested when hiding in Bangalore. Manaf, a man who was one of the accused in a case related to chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010 was the 13th accused in Abhimayu Murder case. The police found that the culprits arrived at college hostel armed with lethal weapons to attack maximum student activists. The trial of the Abhimayu case is ongoing in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court.
