By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: The college professor who was recently in news by the controversial question paper insulting Prophet Muhammed was last day attacked by a group of people at his hometown in Moovattupuzha. His right hand was chopped off by the attackers while Professor TJ Joseph was returning home from the church on Sunday morning. The police have reportedly arrested some people in connection with the incident. The severed hand was successfully knit together in a long surgery that ended today early morning.
Prof Joseph was attacked by about 10 people who chopped off his hand a little below the wrist and threw the chopped off part away, according to reports. His mother and sister were also with him, but they were left unharmed. The men had reportedly fired crackers before and after the attack. The attackers then left soon in the van that they had come in. Neighbours rushed the Joseph along with the severed hand to a hospital nearby and then to the plastic surgery hospital in Kochi.
The police have reportedly taken nearly ten youth in custody in connection with the incident. The van used by the attackers also was taken into police custody.
Prof Joseph, lecturer of Malayalam in Newman College, Thodupuzha, was under suspension in the case regarding insulting the Prophet Muhammed. He had reportedly insulted the prophet in one of his question papers. He fled the police when a case was registered but was later arrested and released on bail.
Ernakulam Range IG B Sandhya has been entrusted to investigate into the incident. Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that any terrorist-communal link if any to the incident would be investigated. Education Minister MA Baby said that the attack was a deliberate effort to create communal divide.
The blood needed to the injured lecturer was arranged by Solidarity-Jamat activists whom Joseph’s sister Stella had contacted. Joseph, who had bled very badly, needed 10 bottles of blood.
Meanwhile, the Popular Front of India accused the police of hunting its activists in connection with the incident. The police are prejudiced and hunting those who have been in the front of the struggle in the question paper controversy, accused state general secretary P Abdul Hameed. The PFI condemned the attack on the lecturer but added that the government should take care to avoid situations that led to such incidents. The SDPI accused that the lecturer was attacked due to the failure of the police. The police failed to give him enough protection even though he had received several threats, said state general secretary MK Manoj Kumar.
Nearly 100 PFI activists yesterday went to the police station in Perumbavur demanding the release of Ashraf, who was taken into police custody in connection with the incident, according to reports. They said that Ashraf was innocent and was being framed in the case.
Condemnation
The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council condemned the attack on the lecturer. The KCBC spokesman Fr Stephen Alathara said that the Church had apologized on the controversial question paper and the college had suspended the lecturer, upon finding he was guilty.
CPI M) state general secretary PInarayi Vijayan asked the Kerala society to protest in one voice against the ‘Taliban model’ attack on the lecturer. All had opined that the controversial question in the paper should have been omitted. But chopping the lecturer’s hand for it is highly condemnable. The DYFI condemned the act saying it was a way to bring Talibanism to the state. The BJP demanded a NIA investigation into the incident.
Muslim League state president Hyderali Shihab Thangal and general secretary PK Kunhalikkutty condemned the act as barbarous. It is uncivilized to try to correct a wrong by another wrong. The insult to prophet was condemned by the society. But that should not be the reason for some people to take law into hands, they added in a joint statement.
The Jamat e Islami assistant Amir Sheikh Muhammed Karakunnu said that the people behind the incident were those who wanted to destroy communal harmony in the state. He urged all people to come together and alienate those powers which tried to create problems between communities. All those responsible should be caught immediately and punished, he added. Solidarity Youth Movement condemned the act and opined it as a way to destroy the democratic and moral struggle against the insult to Prophet. The Ittihadu Shubbanil Mujahideen and the All India Sunni Jam’iyathul Ulema also condemned the bloody act.