The police are yet to register a case against the parents of Ramiz, a native of Aluva and Panayikulam, who has been arrested in connection with the suicide of a Christian girl in Kothamangalam Karukadath, Ernakulam district, in what is being described as a case of love jihad. A statement from Sona’s close friend was recorded by the police the previous day.
According to the friend, Ramiz and his family had brutally assaulted Sona and locked her inside a room in an attempt to forcefully convert her. Sona had revealed these details to her friend in Idukki. The friend agreed to let her go home after Sona said she would call Ramiz and inform the police. If not for this intervention, the matter might have remained hidden from the outside world. The police are examining the legal grounds for naming Ramiz’s family as suspects based on the friend’s testimony. However, for now, they seem to be moving ahead without filing a case against the family, allegedly due to intense pressure from Muslim organisations, as well as both the ruling and opposition parties, LDF and UDF. Neither political front has spoken in Sona’s defence, and there are reported attempts to conceal the fact that the victim was a Christian. This silence stands in stark contrast to the political outcry that followed the arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, the police have filed an application before the Kothamangalam court seeking Ramiz’s custody. Sources indicate that, if custody is granted, investigators intend to quickly complete evidence collection and close the case. A 10-member special investigation team has been constituted under the leadership of Muvattupuzha DySP P.M. Baiju, with Kothamangalam CI P.T. Bejoy, Kuttampuzha CI P.A. Faisal, and Nanipuram CI Sunilkumar among the senior officers in charge.
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Relatives of Sona filed a formal complaint at the Kothamangalam police station yesterday, pressing for Ramiz’s family to be named as accused. They have also demanded that authorities investigate possible terrorist links, noting that Panayikulam was once a hotbed of Islamic terrorist activities and the site of a banned SIMI training camp. This connection, they argue, warrants deeper scrutiny into Ramiz’s background.
Union Ministers meet grieving family, discuss scope for NIA probe and legal action
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian visited the residence of Sona Eldos yesterday morning, where he met the grieving family, gathered details, and offered condolences. The family has demanded an NIA investigation into the case. In response to journalists’ questions about the possibility of central intervention, Kurian explained that the NIA operates within a strict legal framework. At present, the FIR is registered for unnatural death. The central government, he said, would first examine the contents of this FIR and then review the complaint submitted to the state DGP. Only after these legal steps can the NIA intervene. Political interference in such matters, Kurian stressed, is not possible, and it is the state government that must decide on recommending an NIA probe. He added that the judiciary should play a stronger role in addressing love jihad cases.
Later in the day, Union Minister Suresh Gopi also visited Sona’s home. He spoke with the family to understand the sequence of events and assured them of complete support. Gopi said he would personally meet the state police chief to discuss the matter and press for appropriate action.
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