By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Malappuram: The Marad Special Court today awarded a rigorous imprisonment of five years to 10 accused, convicted yesterday for torching the house of Thekkepurath Amina during the Marad clashes of 2002. The convicts also have to pay a fine of Rs 18,000.
Among the twelve convicted, two (Kishore Kumar and Sundaran) were given a three-year rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 18,000, owing to their poor health conditions. There were 17 witnesses in the case.
The Marad Special Court had yesterday convicted twelve people, reportedly activists of the RSS, in the case. Two were acquitted. The convicts were remanded, cancelling their bail.
Fourteen people were accused in the case. Among them Rajan, Shivaprasad, Shivaji, Murukeshan, Sharavanan, Madhu, Dasan, Kishore Kumar, Rajesh, Unni, Krishnan and Sundaran were convicted. Sudheer and Shinju, the seventh and eighth accused, were acquitted owing to the lack of evidence.
Thekkepurath Amina’s house was set on fire by the convicts during the clashes on 3rd January 2002.
The police have filed 67 cases, including some related to murders, in connection with the Marad clashes of 2002. Among this, only four cases have been tried so far. Sixty three are yet to be opened.
Clashes between two groups of people in Marad, the coastal area of Kozhikode district, took the lives of five people in 2002. Marad is inhabited dominantly by fishermen. The clashes that arose between the Araya community and Muslims led to the killings in which two Hindus and three Muslims lost their lives. Houses were widely attacked and set afire. Many were arrested in connection with the clashes.
In May next year, nine people were killed in Marad, eight Hindus and a Muslim. This led to fresh clashes resulting in the fleeing of a majority of Muslims of the area. The police reportedly recovered many weapons from the masjid in the area and it was sealed. It has not yet been opened for the public. However, almost all of the Muslim families have fled and are living in nearby places, in terrible conditions. Men from majority of the Muslim families were immediately arrested by the police. Several leaders of political parties were not allowed to enter the area by the Araya Samajam, organisation of the Arayas, and the RSS.
The conditions have not yet returned to the past times. Anti-social elements tried to create problems in the state, exaggerating the intensity of the Marad clashes. They tried to divide the Kerala society on communal lines. However, the clashes were a big blow and shame on Kerala which was known for its peace and communal harmony.