Malappuram: Shankara Narayanan (75), of Elangoor in Manjeri, who shot to national attention following the alleged murder of a man accused of raping and killing his daughter  Krisnapriya, died on Tuesday. He passed away due to age-related illnesses.

Kerala High Court had acquitted Shankara Narayanan in the murder case.

Krisnapriya, a Class 7 student from Elangoor, was returning home from school on February 9, 2001, when her neighbour Muhammed Koya (24) allegedly raped and murdered her. She was then 13.

The accused, who was later released on bail, was shot dead on July 27, 2002. Shankara Narayanan, the father of Krisnapriya, was arrested in connection with the murder.

Though the Manjeri Sessions Court sentenced Shankara Narayanan and two others to life imprisonment, the Kerala High Court acquitted him due to a lack of evidence in May 2006. The court observed that the deceased, who had a criminal background, may have had other enemies.

According to neighbours, he continued to speak about his beloved daughter Krisnapriya until his final days.