Marad massacre

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Marad massacre was a killing of eight Hindu Arayan fishermen and one Muslim by a Muslim mob on May 2, 2003 in the Marad beach of the Kozhikode district, Kerala.

Contents

[edit] January riots

On January 3 and 4th in 2002 at Marad, three Hindus and two Muslims were killed in a sudden breach of peace due to scuffles between two groups what began as a trivial altercation over drinking water at the public tap. The police was present on the spot and they failed to trap the criminals and they stood inactive.[1]. Later on government troops were sent in to patrol this area of hot communal tensions.

[edit] Marad massacre

On May, 2 2003, in the early evening, eight Hindus and one Muslim were hacked to death by a Muslim mob[2] on the beach after reeling in their catch for the day. The killers then escaped into the local Juma Masjid, the Marad enquiry commission’s (Justice Thomas P Joseph) report notes the submission of then Kozhikode Police Commissioner T K Vinod Kumar that hundreds of local Muslim women converged on the mosque to prevent the police from entering it to catch the attackers[3]

Out of 393 people arrested, 213 were from RSS and BJP, 86 from Muslim League, 78 from CPI(M) and CPI, and couple of them from INL,NDF and rest of the parties[4]. Initial investigation report of the Crime Branch Inspector General of Police, Mahesh Kumar Singhla, had dropped enough hints that the National Development Front (NDF)was behind the massacre of eight people at Marad on May 2[5]. Mahesh Kumar Singhla was not able to give enough evidences in front of Thomas P Joseph commission on his arguments.[6]

Later, the government troops unearthed a huge cache of weapons including 17 bombs [7]. The police commissioner, TK Vinod Kumar stated: "It was an operation carried out by a well-knit organization. It was a quick and sudden attack which was over in 10 minutes. The attack came from a particular community."[7].

One of the attackers also killed during the incident. The police recovered explosives and arms from the local Juma Masjid two days after the killings as well as special investigation team of the Kerala Crime Branch filed charge sheets against 147 people accused of involvement or complicity in the crime.[8]

[edit] Aftermath and Exodus of Residents

The Marad killings made a total insecure state among the inhabitants of Marad and it still continues. Police, Judiciary and Legislative are indefinitely dragging the case and they are unable to bring the criminals of first and second Marad killings in front of police in spite of continuous requests[9][10] from different sects[11]. The judiciary is dragging the case indefinitely without even allowing bail for the 134 arrests, in spite of continuous requests[12][13].This is greatly criticised by all the concerned parties.

[edit] Commission of Inquiry by Justice Thomas P Joseph

The Marad Massacre had caused a public uproar against the apathetic approach of the investigating agency and mushrooming of a new breed of religious fundamentalism in the Kerala State. There were persistent demands for a judicial enquiry in the matter, in pursuance whereto, the then UDF government had appointed Thomas.P.Joseph (District & Sessions Judge) as the Commission of Inquiry. He had submitted his report during February 2006 and the LDF ministry tabled the report during September 2006. The report had elucidated that a person known as "F.M." (Finance Minister) had funded for the massacre and also cast aspersions on various political parties and the government officials including the District Collector T.O.Sooraj. A person named Hilal Mohammed (F.M.) too has filed a petition demanding a probe into his alleged involvement in the matter. Both these petitions were filed through Advocate S.K.Premraj. During hearing, Advocate Premraj submitted that Hilal Mohammed's life is under imminent threat.[14]The role of Indian Union Muslim Leader P. P. Modieen Koya and Mayin Haji(then Chairman Kozhikode Development Authority)was also highlighted in the report. The commission's also recommends a further inquiry, involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)about the involvement of foreign agencies in the riots [15]

The commission has taken a serious note of the deposition of state DGP K J Joseph, that the then Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kozhikode) Abdul Rahim “failed to investigate and take prompt action in Marad.’’ The DGP deposed that Rahim not only ‘‘hid the truth from his superior officers’’ but also tried to establish that the key accused in the massacre on the beach on May 2, 2003 were not guilty.[16]

[edit] Key findings of Justice Thomas P Joseph Commission

  • "The patrolling and search for weapons said to be made by the local police were not effective or purposeful. To put shortly, the local police was lethargic in their attitude towards the situation at Marad Beach." [6] (chapter 5, sction 37)
  • "It was unfortunate that the household items were damaged at Marad Beach in the presence of police"(chapter 5, sction 42)[6]
  • Coming in for strong indictment is then Kozhikode District Collector T O Sooraj, currently director of Industries for colluding with Muslim League leadership in covering up facts. The commission has observed that allegations that the Collector was a communalist cannot be dismissed as untrue. The Collector had taken custody of the mosque from where the police had seized lethal weapons. But, the commission noted, he allowed Muslim League leader E Ahmed, then an MP and now Minister of State for External Affairs, to enter the mosque (The local Juma Masjid mentioned earlier in the article) and offer prayers, even as an explosive situation prevailed in the area[3]

[edit] commission's main recommendation

The commission's main recommendation, was a further inquiry, involving the Intelligence Bureau (I.B), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, into the "larger conspiracy" involving fundamentalist and other forces, and into the source of the explosives and funds that the CBCID "failed or refused" to investigate - an act that the commission described as "quite suspicious and disturbing".[4]

[edit] Responses on commission's report

The Home minister of Kerala Government had written to the Union Government on September 12 2006 recommending the CBI probe into the conspiracy behind the riots and issues such as the involvement of fundamentalist outfits, their foreign connections and source of funding and how they succeeded in secretly stockpiling weapons in the village for use in the riots.[17]

A.K. Antony, who was the Chief Minister during both incidents, differed on Commission findings with a main point that the first round of violence should have included in the report[18].

[edit] References

  1. ^ Marad can yet be retrieved [1]
  2. ^ IMC India - 8 Hindus hacked to death by muslim mob in kerala
  3. ^ a b Kerala sits on riot report indicting Cong govt, Muslim League [2]
  4. ^ a b Marad Shocks: Frontline Weekly[3]
  5. ^ NDF behind Marad massacre?[4].
  6. ^ a b c Copy of Thomas P Joseph Commission [5]
  7. ^ a b Weapons seized [6]
  8. ^ Marad: How politicians fanned a communal riot [7]
  9. ^ Marad case: Kummanam's Request[8]
  10. ^ NDF welcomes the CBI inquiry [9]
  11. ^ CBI should also probe first Marad riot[10]
  12. ^ Anticipatory bail: Single Judge's directions set aside [11]
  13. ^ All cases to go to new court in a week[12]
  14. ^ Frontline [13]
  15. ^ Probe into Marad riots[14]
  16. ^ indianexpress.com :: Kerala sits on riot report indicting Cong govt, Muslim League
  17. ^ CBI probe into Marad carnage - kerala.gov [15]
  18. ^ Antony differs with Marad panel findings [16]

[edit] See also