In the morning on May 9, I went numb seeing a photograph that appeared in the front page of a Malayalam daily newspaper. The news was about a court verdict; National Investigation Agency (NIA) court had sentenced ten Popular Front activists for chopping off the hand of an
innocent college Professor TJ Joseph, after accusing him of blasphemy. The photograph was of the culprits with euphoric expression after hearing
the verdict. Their smiling faces sent a shiver down my spine and have left a gross amount of righteous indignation that cannot be abated until giving those devils a red nose.
Professor TJ Joseph was a Malayalam teacher in Newman College under the management of the Catholic Church. When he prepared a Malayalam question paper he cited a passage from a book which was written by a famous Malayalam film director. The crime he has committed was just quoting the name Muhammad as it was in the suggested textbook. A news report which appeared in a pro-Islamic newspaper made a tragic twist in the story. They reported the news in a jaundiced view and gave a communal colour to the incident. Almost all Muslim organisations and political parties came forward to protest against the alleged blasphemy. Of which, Popular Front had decided to go further to chop the hand of the professor. A gang of Muslim extremists executed the plan followed by a fatwa issued by a Taliban model court, ‘Darul Khada’.
Since both the victim and perpetrators belong to the minority communities, all the political parties and intellectuals showed scant regard to this grave incident. Our national media have taken up the issue with due importance and given a consistent
coverage to it. Even the Church has accepted a regressive stance by, instead of giving him legal and moral support, suspended him from the service.
He was denied all the post-retirement benefits.
The media and the political parties except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are blatantly rooting for such religious fundamentalist groups to keep their secular image intact. The Assembly of Kerala even went so far as to pass a unanimous resolution seeking the release of Abdul Nassar Maudani, a terrorist accused. The press depicts it as a human rights issue.
The people are well aware of this but they are seeking solution within the purview of existing two combinations. On contrary to what Marxists say, it is not because of the political enlightenment, but because of forgetfulness and they get elected in alternating terms. Unless a nationalistic populace emerges as a decisive political power, things will remain unchanged.
Only BJP can emerge as a functional alternative to the politically castrated Left-Right collaboration which feed all the anti-national elements and facilitate corruption. Once the existing political equation is abolished, the politically opportunistic Congress and Communist Party will suffer. The people have to find out political solution to this enigmatic situation. The will of the people alone can bring about the change into the God’s own country.
-Ganesh Radha Krishnan
(The writer is a freelancer based in Chengannur, Kerala)
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