The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the May 2003 Marad massacre is not going to reveal anything, according to Shri P. Gopinathan Nair, Chairman of Gandhi Peace Foundation, Kerala.
Speaking to Organiser, Shri Nair, who played a major role in brokering peace at Marad following the massacre of eight Hindu fishermen by the Islamic terrorists, said all concerned knew the perpetrators of this gruesome act very well. ?They could have arrested them immediately after the massacre. But the murderers went scot-free and the political bosses were playing hide and seek game about a serious probe,? he said.
It is an irony that the CPI(M), which fought tooth and nail against the CBI probe had to make a volte-face following the publication of the report by Thomas P. Joseph Commission, which conducted the judicial inquiry into the Marad massacre. The family members of the Marad victims refused to meet Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPI(M) secretary, who had visited the site following the massacre. The statements issued by Pinarayi Vijayan and V.S. Achuthanadan blaming the Araya community and the RSS for the Marad massacre evoked scorn and contempt in the minds of people all over the state. All parties except the BJP were vying with one another to appease the Muslims in and around Marad following the massacre.
The Congress, CPI(M) and the CPI were shouting from rooftops against the demand made by the BJP and various Hindu organisations for a comprehensive CBI probe into the incident. Meanwhile the Muslim League has threatened the people of Kerala with dire consequences if anyone dares to criticize the party based on the findings of the Thomas P. Joseph Commission. The Commission blamed the then Minister of Industries P. K. Kunhalikutty for his alleged role in the Marad massacre. Two senior Mulsim League leaders C. Mayin Haji and Aboobakker too have been named by the Commission for their role in the conspiracy and execution of the massacre.
?There will be more Marads in the State if you people continue to blame the Muslim League for the massacre,? warned Kunhalikutty and E.T. Mohammed Basheer, both known for their proximity with various Islamic extremist organisations in the state.
Shri A.K. Antony, the then Chief Minister of Kerala, had to literally fall at the feet of the Muslim League president Shihab Ali Thangal for his reported statement that the Muslim League was exerting undue pressure on his government on the Marad issue. All secular leaders came out in the open against the comment made by Antony who had to rush to Thangal'sMalappuram House as part of atonement.
Both K. Muraleedharan and his father K. Karunakaran were very vocal against the BJP'sdemand for a CBI probe into the massacre. Muraleedharan, who is waiting for a green signal from Sharad Pawar to join the NCP, humiliated Antony for signing an accord with the Araya community as part of the restoration of peace in Marad.
Kunhalikutty, who now claims that he was not against the CBI probe into the Marad massacre, had threatened the Mathrubhumi correspondent N.P. Rajendran for bringing out the details of the League leader'sassociation with terrorist organisations. ?My God! I had the terrifying opportunity to see the hitherto unknown face of Kunhalikutty,? Rajendran told his friends in the media.
The interesting outcome of the Marad Commission is that the findings fully substantiate and strengthen the observations and warnings made by the RSS, BJP and various other Sangh organisations. Though the secularists had cobbled up a peace accord immediately after the unpleasant experiences of 2002, the Islamic terrorists were waiting for the right moment to strike. The Hindus in the area who blindly believed the false hope of peace and happiness assured by the Islamic fundamentalists like the National Development Front, were shocked by the treacherous act of the Islamic terrorists.
?They cheated us in 2003. This is not the first time that we Hindus are taken for a ride by the sweet talking fundamentalists. It is the Hindus who are always at the receiving end of the terrorist activities. You sort it out and then we will think about living peacefully,? said Uma Unni, a social activist who fights for the cause of the poor people of Marad.
