Islamist accused in prof attack case contesting polls

Even as the main political fronts in Kerala are working hard to ensure the support of fundamentalist groups in the October 23-25 civic polls, an Islamist accused in the case relating to the Taliban-style attack on college professor TJ Joseph is contesting the election from the prison where he is currently lodged.

NA Anas, one of the accused in the case of attack on the professor, is contesting as candidate of the Social Democratic party of India (SDPI), the political wing of Islamist Popular Front of India. All the accused in the professor attack case are Popular Front activists.

Anas, presently in remand at the Central Prison at Viyyur, Thrissur is the SDPI candidate in the Vanchinad division of central Kerala’s Vazhakkulam Block Panchayat, which lies near to Muvattupuzha, where Popular Front operatives cut off the right hand of Prof Joseph on July 4.

Anas, head of the department of Electronics at Ilahia College, Muvattupuzha, had obtained special permission of the court and the prison superintendent for filing the nomination. He is the area president of the SDPI at Perumbavoor, Ernakulam district, to where several of the accused in the professor attack case belong.

The Popular Front, which has been supporting mainly the Congress-led UDF in many of the past elections, have fielded own candidates at select wards for the civic polls this time. It had backed UDF candidates in 18 of the 20 constituencies in the last Lok Sabha elections while it voted against Shashi Tharoor and (Union Minister) KV Thomas.

The Indian Union Muslim League, second biggest constituent of the UDF, has accused the Congress of striking an electoral deal with the Popular Front in Idukki district, where Prof Joseph’s Newman College is situated.

Meanwhile, the police said they had got clear indications about the hideouts of the remaining accused in the case of the attack against the professor amidst allegations that the CPI(M)-led Government had put a freeze on the investigations in order not to antagonize the Islamist elements in the context of the civic polls.

Police sources said the leads were obtained through the probe teams working in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The police were yet to arrest 29 of the total 53 accused in the case, including MK Nasser, chief conspirator and mastermind behind the attack on the professor.

The police had the other day said that the probes were now concentrated in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka where most of the remaining accused were holed up. However, Nasser had on September 9 met a lawyer in Kochi to file a petition challenging the act of freezing his property despite the police claims of the intense search for him.

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