Kochi, March 22 -- A court in Kerala's Thalassery on Friday convicted nine CPI(M) workers for the murder of 32-year-old BJP worker in Muzhappilangad in 2005. The quantum of punishment is expected to be announced on Monday.

However, the Thalassery district sessions court acquitted one person in the murder case, which was seen as a fallout of an intense political rivalry between the CPI(M) and BJP in Kannur. Two other accused died during the course of the trial. The convicts were identified as TK Rajeesh, Manoraj Narayanan, NV Yagesh, K Shyamjith, Neyyoth Sajeevan, Prabhakaran, KV Padmanabhan, M Radhakrishnan and N Prakashan.

Special prosecutor Premarajan told reporters that the victim, E Sooraj, was hacked to death at around 8.40 am on A...