It's a cruel irony, but true. As the nation joins Priyadarshini Matoo and Jessica Lall in their march of justice, away from the limelight and cameras, three families in Kerala quietly marked on Sunday the 10th anniversary of the loss of their teenage children, allegedly killed in a gruesome manner 10 years ago.

Thanks to a highly questionable investigation by the police under the then LDF regime and some deft legal handling, all accused in the broad daylight murders have been acquitted. The accused were sympathisers of CPI(M)’s student and youth wing — SFI and DYFI.

The deceased Kim Karunakaran, Sujith and Anu P.S. were students of the Devasom Board College in Parumala, Pathanamthitta district. Karunakaran and Sujith were doing pre-degree (equivalent of +2) and Anu was in the degree class. All of them were sympathisers of ABVP.

The incident, in police’s version, goes like this: On September 17, 1996, shortly after the classes began, there was a scuffle in the college and the accused “in furtherance of the common object” mercilessly beat up the trio, who ran to the college boundary wall and jumped into the neighbouring holy river Pampa to save themselves. But the accused then collected on its banks and pelted stones at them making it impossible for them to swim. “Due to collective pelting and attack, Karunakaran, Anu and Sujith died due to drowning”.

The incident had shocked the conscience of god’s own country with intellectuals and politicians alike condemning the tragedy. But four years later, their disparagement was to remain just lip work.

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