PK Sukumaran
KOZHIKODE: At last, after a lapse of 10 years of the cruel murder of 8 poor Hindu fishermen took place at Marad beach of Kozhikode district, the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) government has now decided to go for a CBI probe into the tragic incident, which shook the communal situation of the state. Everybody is aware that this decision of the ruling front is a half minded one which was forced upon them because of the hostile socio-political climate now prevailing in the state. Each and every Hindu organisation is now clamouring for justice and they would be ready to go to any extent to punish the brutal murders, who got the help and patronage from major political parties since the incident.
The immediate pressure came from the recent High Court judgement in which the Court vehemently indicted the government in its negligence to find out the higher level conspiracy, interstate terrorist connections, flow of huge funds, etc. So the Court observed that a powerful high level probe is very essential to expose the real culprits, who enjoy powerful help from communal politicians. The theory prepared and propagated by the interested parties that the second Marad killing was a mere sequence of the earlier one is a blatant lie and misguiding one. The observation made by Justice Thomas P Joseph that poor and uneducated Muslims of that coastal village were not in a position to plan, prepare and execute the gruesome murder is a far reaching indication to the real conspiracy. The High Court also underlined this observation as a major point to which proper investigation has to be directed. If the CBI enquiry is done in a proper manner without the intervention from higher ups, it is rightly expected that some major sharks may fall in the net and the true culprits will be brought to book.
Today, the people of Kerala witness some unbelievable and interesting developments. The UDF under Congress is for a CBI probe; the LDF under CPI(M) also is for a CBI probe. CPI(M) and DYFI are separately organising agitations one after another. Muslim League, whose prominent leaders were indicted by the Thomas P Joseph Commission are also in the forefront to clamour for a CBI probe. Everybody is demanding CBI probe? But where were these peace lovers and justice mongers so far? It was easy and comfortable for them to cheat the Hindus, who suffered a lot and side with the Muslim terrorists, who are powerful in all aspects.
But these opportunistic politicians cannot bear the heat of the political sphere. Every Hindu orgnisation, big and small, is in the forefront to demand justice to their Hindu fishermen brothers, which they did not get because of their unorganised condition, unlike that of Muslims. So, it is rather difficult for the politicians to ignore the popular sentiment aroused by the Hindu unity for which the Nair Service Society and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) took the lead.
Now the Marxists are trying to come forward as the champion of Marad victims, but people could recognise their cheap tricks as they tried to block the CBI probe by ordering a crime branch investigation when they were in power. Their present eagerness is to settle their petty quarrel with their old Muslim League friends. While the Hindu organisations took Marad issue to the public domain in 2002 onwards, CPI(M) was the prominent advocate to convince the ordinary people that a judicial enquiry is enough. Pinarai Vijayan, who appeared before the Judicial Commission along with K Muralidharan, Congress leader, submitted the same opinion. The CPI(M) state secretary, who conducted a party workers meet in Marad just after the first clash between these two communities, openly instructed to kill the RSS workers like party cadres did in Thalassery.
The Marad Judicial Commission Report was submitted during the UDF regime and the Oommen Chandy government kept the report secret. The purpose of this mischief was to avoid troubles for Muslim League. The next LDF government under VS Achutha-nandan recommended the Centre for CBI enquiry, and it was only as a revenge on the Muslim League. Again the Congress-led UPA government rejected the recommendation because of the pressure exerted by the League lobby in New Delhi. In this context the LDF government again entrusted the probe to the crime branch fully knowing that it was not competent for it.
The Judicial Commission Report in 2006 January clearly stated about criminal conspiracy, terrorist connection, interstate level planning for mass murder and modes of escape. Now the demand from all corners remain the same—an undisturbed and unbiased enquiry by CBI which will bring to book all the culprits connected with this notorious crime, which brought a lot of shame on the social and political decency of Kerala. Mullapally Ramachandran, Deputy Minister in the Home Ministry, who is in charge of CBI, has promised that if the State government recommends, the Centre is ready for a CBI probe.
So the ball is now in state government”s court. And if the State and Centre try to backtrack in their promises to appease the communal and fundamentalist Muslim groups the people of the state, especially the Hindus, would not accept that injustice again. The Prime Minister recently pointed out that Kerala is also becoming the hot bed of communal extremism and if that statement has any meaning the Congress rulers at the State and Centre must do the needful at the right time and right manner.
