By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Kozhikode: The recent murder of a Muslim youth activist of SDPI from Karasagod town, subsequent police apathy in investigation and finally arrest of two alleged RSS activists for the murder has highlighted the bias in police handling of criminal incident cases related to the Muslims in Kerala, community leaders have alleged.
Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activist Zainul Abid, 24, a resident of Kunnil of Thaalangara in Kasaragod town, was hacked to death allegedly by RSS activists at his family shop on December 22.
SDPI Activist Zainul Abid murdered in Kasargod (Photo Courtesy – CoastalDigest)
Seeking stringent action, Abid’s relatives had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during his visit to Kasaragod on Monday.
Police had on Friday, December 26, arrested an electrician Thejas, 19, from Beerantabail; Abhishek, 20, from Parekatte and Akshay Rai, 24, from Kudlupachakkad. The police had also seized the scooter belonging to Thejas and two mobile phones from them.
“Old enmity” was what police described as the cause of crime. More than 10 people are involved in the crime, police said adding, a search is on for the remaining suspects. Police claimed, Thejas and Abhishek, on a scooter, had reportedly asked about and identified a shop at Chakkara Bazar – where Abid was killed – on the day of the crime in the morning, before informing the alleged killers. The group, police said, entered the shop at about 9.30 pm and hacked Abid to death.
Police said Abid had been earlier arrested in connection with an attempt to murder case a year ago. “There was a conspiracy to kill Abid in this connection for some time. Seven people were directly involved in the incident and three others had facilitated it,’ police added.
Not a singular incident
Although, the police made arrests in the Abid murder case and claim to be leading further into investigation, the SDPI activist’s murder has once again highlighted the bias by police and district administration towards Muslim community and its outfits in Kasaragod district, community leaders have claimed.
Alleging involvement of the Sangh Parivar in the brutal murder, SDPI national president A Saeed, said in a statement: “The murder is the latest evidence of the Sangh terror developing in the state after BJP national president Amit Shah’s visit to the state.”
Pointing his fingers to the irregularities by the police and the administration, Saeed said the dysfunction of the CCTV cameras installed in various parts of the town intensifies the mystery behind the crime and exposes the inaction of the authorities.
SDPI district president N U Abdul Salam further alleged that the murder was a result of “criminal lapses committed by police in controlling violence by the Sangh Parivar forces in the district.”
Earlier in July 2013, a youngster Sabith was killed while he was moving on his bike with a friend at Anankoor in Kasaragod town, again by allegedly by RSS activists. Police claimed Sabith had allegedly refused to give way to prime accused K Akshay, 21, and K N Vaisakh, 19, both from Kasaragod.
On January 9, 2011, another youngster and activist of Muslim Youth League Rishad was murdered at Choori near Kasaragod town. Senior police officials had confirmed that the murders of Rishad and Sabith were communally motivated.
Following the outcry seeking stringent action in Rishad’s murder, Sangh Parivar activists, including M Paresh, resident of Meepuguri, and K Kiran Kumar of Kelugudde, M Dinesh, Sudheerkumar, Jyothish Kumar, Ajith Kumar and K G Kishor, were arrested in connection with the murder. Kiran Kumar was one of the noted criminals in Kasaragod. The suspects were acquitted by the District Session court judge on October 23, 2013 leaving his relatives frustrated. But the victim’s family refused to take the case to the upper court seeking justice.
It was the same plight in the murder of Mohammed Ashar, another Muslim youth activist, who was murdered by Sangh Parivar activist on November 15, 2009. The court had acquitted the accused citing poor evidences by the police.
Abdul Salam pointed out that Sangh Parivar had carried out processions in various parts of the district following the suspects’ acquittal. “The police was inactive earlier and the police was inactive even then (when the procession was carried out) to initiate any action,” Salam blamed.
Echoed Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) district general secretary M C Khamarudheen: “The police and the prosecution both had come through serious flaws in preparing the FIRs/charge sheets against the suspects in cases related to the attacks against Muslim community.”
Alleging that the Kasaragod police force “is intruded by Sangh Parivar elements,” Salam added, “It is a regular feature now that the justice is denied both by the police and the judiciary while dealing with cases of assaults against Muslim youth/community members.”
“The police are inclined to impose weak charges against the Sangh Parivar activists leaving several loopholes in the charges, which often help them in easy acquittal,” Salam alleged.
In connection with the Sabith murder case, police had arrested K Akshay, K N Vaishak, R Bijesh, K Sachin Kumar, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile, all alleged RSS activists, on July 14, 2013.
Muslim leaders said these suspects were not taken to the custody in time. Salam said, “These suspects were arrested after several days after alleged ‘compromise talks’ were held between the police and BJP leaders. Besides, the charges against the culprits were also weak as it occurred in Rishad murder case.”
The murders, according to IUML and SDPI leaders, including the latest Abid murder are pre-planned. “But, the police did not conduct investigations to unveil the conspiracies. The three suspects, taken into the custody in Abid murder case are not directly involved in the case. The prime suspects are yet to be taken to the law,” Salam added.
The SDPI leader further claimed partial treatment while dealing with communal issues and said representatives of various Muslim outfits often get a rude and unkind deal. “When we go to attend the peace meetings called by the police and district administration following the attacks and violence, instead of taking up the discussion in a genuine manner, they ask us ‘if we people want to make Kasaragod (as) Pakistan’,” he claimed.
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Young SDPI activist hacked to death in Kasaragod
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