“Will wipe out those who witness against us”- Muslim League Leader

Headmaster’s death: League leader threatens witnesses agianst deposing

PNS | Malappuram

Video-records
of Muslim League State committee member KP Basheer issuing death threat
to witnesses who dared to depose in the court on the death of James
Augustine, a school headmaster who died during a Muslim Youth Protest
at a Malappuram school on July 19, came out in the media on Wednesday.
The expose has pushed the Muslim League into a very difficult spot
especially as the Muslim Youth League is facing the allegation that the
headmaster had died after he was manhandled by the youth outfit’s
activists.

Basheer, while speaking at an anti-LDF campaign led
by League leader MK Muneer on November 20 at Edavanna, Malappuram, had
issued death threat to witnesses after claiming that the cases charged
against League and Youth league workers in the death of the headmaster
were on fabricated charges. He issued the threat from a dais where
League national president and Union Minister E Ahmed, vice-president
Abdul Samad Samadhani and senior leader Muneer.

“If any fake
witnesses dare to depose in the court against us in the case in which
we had no role those witnesses would not remain on the face of the
earth the moment they get out of the court,” Basher said in his speech.

Even after the tapes of his speech were exposed, Basheer looked
unfazed and claimed that he had responded in that manner because of his
anger for the fabricated cases against League and Youth League workers
in connection with the death of James Augustine.

The Muslim
League, which was already on the defensive on the issue of the death of
the headmaster due to the alleged role of Youth League activists, would
find it extremely difficult to face the new situation.

James
Augustine had died at a school at Keezhissery, Malappuram after a group
of Muslim Youth League workers who had stormed into the school to
disrupt a cluster training programme for teachers, as part of their
agitation against the controversial Class VII Social Science textbook.

While
the youth leaders claimed innocence in the matter, the post-mortem
report said the headmaster had died of a massive injury he had received
in the back of his ear.

The tragic incident had contributed to
the failure of the two-month agitation demanding the withdrawal of the
textbook, which the Congress-led UDF, the Christian Church and several
Muslim organisations had said was prepared to propagate materialism and
anti-religious feelings.

Responding to the death threat issued
by Basheer to witnesses in the James Augustine case, the CPI(M) said it
was a challenge against democracy. While the SFI said that it would
provide protection to the witnesses, pro-CPI(M) teachers’ outfit KSTA
demanded initiation of legal proceedings against the League leaders.

Responses