By IANS
Malappuram (Kerala) : It has been 14 years Sunday since a moulavi disappeared from here. Though the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concluded that the Muslim scholar was murdered, it is yet to find the killers and unearth the mystery behind his death.
Chekannur P.K. Mohammed Abdul Hassan Moulavi, in his mid 50s, was last seen on July 29, 1993 – before he was taken away in a jeep from his home by somebody under the pretext of taking him to a lecture programme.
Many appreciated him for his scholarly thinking and good oratorical skills, though he was seen by fundamentalist elements within the community as a "trouble maker".
The CBI, which said in 1998 that the moulavi was murdered, has arrested three people and charged six in the case so far. The case is in the Ernakulam special chief magistrate's court now.
The moulavi's uncle Salim Haji is unhappy that the culprits are still scot-free.
Speaking to reporters Saturday, Haji said the charge sheet was flawed to allow the murderers to escape.
"Instead of the real culprits, those who are now charged as accused are hired people to give an easy escape to the real killers," he alleged.
In late 2005, a CBI team conducted digging of an area near here after those arrested said that the moulavi's body was buried there. But nothing was found after a few days of digging and the search was abandoned.
Special CBI Judge Kamal B. Pasha arrayed Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musaliyar as an accused in the case in the same year. But Musaliyar got the order quashed from the Kerala High Court.
The moulavi's family then approached the Supreme Court with the special CBI judge's observation, but the plea was not admitted by the apex court.
The CBI has examined 45 witnesses so far in the case, seven of whom turned hostile recently, making it even more difficult for the investigating agency to crack the case.
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