Prof attack was terror act: Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that the Taliban-model Islamist attack on Prof TJ Joseph of Church-run Newman College of Thodupuzha was equal to an act of extremism even as the college management launched a public relations campaign to justify their decision to dismiss the professor from service.

While denying bail to seven accused in the case – all activists of Islamist outfit Popular Front of India – Justice V Ramkumar of the High Court said that the attack on the professor was an act that could be seen as a threat to the society. It could also endanger the religious harmony in the society, he pointed out.

The court also observed that such an act had taken place for the first time in Kerala. Those denied bail were seventh accused Kamaruddeen, tenth to 13th accused AB Lateef, Moideen Kutty, Shiyas and Muhammad Ali respectively and 15th and 16th accused Siyad and Sikander. All of them had allegedly acted as accomplices to the gang that carried out the attack on the professor.

The judge pointed out that releasing the accused on bail could pose additional threat to the life of the professor. The court accepted the argument of the Prosecution, which opposed the bail pleas, that the attack on the professor was carried out with clear and deliberate planning. The Prosecution also said that special gangs had been assigned with the different tasks associated with the execution of the brutal attack.

The Prosecution said that 30 of the total 51 accused in the case were yet to be arrested and releasing the seven persons at this juncture could affect the investigations. The Kerala Police had so far arrested 24 Popular Front activists in connection with the attack, including four with direct involvement in the attack.

Malayalam professor Joseph of Newman College was attacked by a seven-member gang of suspected Popular Front activists on July 4 for preparing a question paper which allegedly blasphemed Prophet Muhammad. Complicating his pathetic situation further, the college management removed him from service with effect from September 1 for “hurting the sentiments of an entire community”.

Prof Joseph on Wednesday wrote a letter to the college management requesting for his reinstatement in service on humanitarian grounds. However, he reiterated that he had not done anything that could hurt any section of the society.

Meanwhile, the college management launched a public relations campaign to justify the dismissal in the face of stiff protests from various quarters against the “punishment which was disproportionate to the mistake”. Strangely but expectedly, several Muslim organizations have welcomed the dismissal.

Mon Thomas Malekudy, manager of Newman College where the question paper scandal occurred, issued a statement to the Press saying the management was left with no option but to sack the professor as he consistently refused to realize his mistake. The statement said that the particular question in the test paper had brought pain to a section of the society.

A release issued jointly by some Muslim organizations praised the college management for its action against the professor saying it would lead to compromises and rethinking with respect to relations among different communities. The release, signed by the leaders of eight Muslim organizations, said that the “decision of the Church and the college management taken on the basis of facts would have positive results”.

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