Thiruvananthapuram: Police on Monday arrested two persons in connection with the attack on college lecturer T J Joseph, who had earlier sparked a controversy for reportedly insulting Prophet Muhammed in a question paper. The arrested have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
Police sources said the arrested youths, Asharaf and Jaffer, were activists of the right-wing Popular Front of India. According to the police, Asharaf had been privy to the entire operation, and had arranged the vehicle used by the assailants. The vehicle was then reportedly handed over to Jaffer for dismantling.Sources said the attack was executed at the local level, with the collusion of the organisation's leadership. "During the protest marches after the question paper controversy erupted last March, certain speakers had publicly threatened to chop off the hands of those who had insulted the Prophet. Police have zeroed in on a local PFI leader who is suspected to have led the operation. The eight members of the gang which chopped off the lecturer's palm have been identified," sources said.
Meanwhile, Joseph's severed palm was sewn back at the Specialist Hospital in Kochi after a 15-hour-long surgery. The hospital did not give details about the operation. Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan informed the Assembly that the government would not allow any organisation to flourish in the "Taliban model". He said the role of the PFI would be probed.
So far, the PFI has maintained silence on the attack. "The police have been prejudiced against the PFI. The government should have maintained vigil to avert the question paper controversy," said PFI general secretary P Abdul Hameed.
It may be recalled that less than four months after he sparked off a controversy for reportedly insulting Prophet Muhammed in a question paper, Joseph, was attacked by some unidentified men who chopped off his right hand, at Muvattupuzha in central Kerala on Sunday.
Joseph, 52, Malayalam lecturer at Catholic-run Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning home after attending Sunday prayers at the local church when he was attacked. He was accompanied by his mother and sister.
According to Joseph's sister, Stella Joseph, the assailants in a van waylaid their vehicle and pulled out the lecturer, after bursting explosives to create a scare. While Joseph was being attacked, his mother and sister were warned not to step out of the vehicle. The gang fled the scene after severing his right hand.
In April this year, Joseph was arrested after a question paper set by him triggered protests by Muslims. He was later released on bail.
The question paper, for an internal degree exam in March, contained a text taken from an article written by P T Kunjumuhammed, a director of several award-winning films and former CPI(M) legislator.
Referring to his film Garshom, Kunjumuhammed explained in the article that the thread for a scene in the movie, in which the protagonist speaks to God, was picked from his own experience about a madman who used to speak to God. While reproducing the conversation as a passage for punctuation, Joseph replaced the mad man with Muhammed, thus making it seem like a dialogue between God and Muhammed.
Protesting against the question paper, Muslim organisations, particularly the Popular Front of India and Jamaat-e-Islami, had said it was an insult to Prophet Muhammed. The issue soon gained communal colour, leading to violent incidents in Thodupuzha region. There were attempts to trigger communal violence, after protesters targeted a temple in the town.
Joseph, who first went into hiding, later surrendered before the police. Meanwhile, the university suspended him for a year. Out on bail, Joseph had earlier complained to the police about a threat to his life.
Sunday's attack has evoked widespread protests from all political parties. Education Minister M A Baby said it was a deliberate attempt to create communal divide in society. The BJP said the incident indicated the growing influence of communal forces in Kerala.
