Marad massacre

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Second Marad massacre
Marad Beach massacre
Part of persecution of Hindus and religious violence in India
Date2 May 2003; 20 years ago (2 May 2003)
Location
Marad Beach, Kozhikode district, Kerala

11°12′27″N 75°47′13″E / 11.20745°N 75.78706°E / 11.20745; 75.78706
Caused byreligious conflict among Hindus and Muslims
GoalsRevenge and religious persecution
MethodsMassacre
Parties to the civil conflict
Flag of the Indian Union Muslim League.svg IUML (alleged)
Casualties and losses
8 deaths
1 death
Part of a series on
Violence against Hindus
in independent India
Issues
Targeted attacks
Incidents

The second Marad massacre was the killing of eight Hindus by Islamic fundamentalists on 2 May 2003 at the Marad Beach of the Kozhikode district, Kerala, India. One attacker, Mohammed Ashker, was hit by accident and was also killed. The judicial commission that probed the incident concluded that the Indian Union Muslim League were directly involved in both the conspiracy and execution of the massacre. These political party was directly involved in both the conspiracy and execution of Kerala’s worst ever communal carnage, says the report of the judicial commission probing the three-year-old Marad massacre The commission affirmed "a clear communal conspiracy, with Muslim fundamentalist organisations involved".[1] The commission couldn't find evidence to support the involvement of foreign organisations.[1] The courts sentenced 62 Muslims to life imprisonment for committing the massacre in 2009 – most of whom belonged to the Indian Union Muslim League,People's Democratic Party, and National Development Front.

The attackers also threw bombs with the intention of inflicting more deaths, but the bombs did not explode.[2] A large cache of swords, knives and bombs were stored in the neighbouring Masjid (mosque) and were later seized by the police. This stock was found to be kept ready as a reserve for a mass massacre, which did not happen in the event of police intrusion.[3]

January riots[edit]

On 3 and 4 January 2002 at Marad, three Hindus and two Muslims were killed in a sudden breach of peace due to scuffles between two groups that began as a trivial altercation over drinking water at the public tap. Police present at the time stood watching the incident, failing to capture the criminals.[4] Out of 393 people arrested, 213 were from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 86 from Muslim League, 78 from Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and Communist Party of India (CPI), and couple of them from Indian National League (INL), National Development Front (NDF) – now renamed "Popular Front of India" and rest of the parties.[5] Government troops were later sent in to patrol the area.

  • 27 December 2008: A Special Court on Saturday convicted 63 accused, in a case relating to the May 2003 communal attack at Marad beach near Kozhikode in Kerala, while acquitting 76 others for want of evidence.[6]
  • 15 January 2009: A sessions Court in Kozhikode pronounced life sentence on 62 of 63 convicts in 2001's Marad carnage case. One convict, who has already served five years in jail, was released.[7]

May riots[edit]

On 2 May 2003, in the early evening, eight Hindus were hacked to death by a Muslim mob[8] on the beach after reeling in their catch for the day.[9]

Initial investigation report of the Crime Branch Inspector General of Police, Mahesh Kumar Singhla, had dropped enough hints that the NDF was behind the massacre of eight people at Marad on 2 May.[10] Mahesh Kumar Singhla was not able to give enough evidences in front of Thomas P Joseph commission on his arguments.[11][verification needed]

Later, the government troops unearthed a huge cache of weapons including 17 bombs.[12] The police commissioner, TK Vinod Kumar stated: "It was an operation carried out by a well-knit organization. It was a quick and sudden attack which was over in 10 minutes. The attack came from a particular community.".[12]

One of the attackers, Mohammed Ashker, was also killed during the incident.[13]

Aftermath and exodus of residents[edit]

The Marad killings created an insecure state for the inhabitants of Marad and it still continues. Police, Judiciary and Legislature are indefinitely dragging the case and they are unable to bring the criminals of first and second Marad killings in front of police in spite of continuous requests[14][15] from different sects.[16] The judiciary is dragging the case indefinitely by not convicting all the 134 arrested person, in spite of continuous requests.[17][18]

Inquiry commission by Justice Thomas[edit]

The Marad Massacre had caused a public uproar against the apathetic approach of the investigating agency and mushrooming of a new breed of religious fundamentalism in the Kerala State. There were persistent demands for a judicial enquiry in the matter, in pursuance whereto, the then UDF government had appointed Thomas P. Joseph (District & Sessions Judge) as the Commission of Inquiry. He had submitted his report during February 2006 and the LDF ministry tabled the report during September 2006. The report had elucidated that a person known as "F.M." (Finance Minister) had funded for the massacre and also cast aspersions on various political parties and the government officials including the District Collector T. O. Sooraj Mohamed. A person named Hilal Mohammed (F.M. who was handling the smuggling of counterfeit goods at Calicut Airport) too has filed a petition demanding a probe into his alleged involvement in the matter. Both these petitions were filed through Advocate S. K. Premraj. During hearing, Advocate Premraj submitted that Hilal Mohammed's life is under imminent threat.[19] The role of Indian Union Muslim Leader P. P. Modieen Koya and Mayin Haji (then chairman Kozhikode Development Authority)was also highlighted in the report. The commission's also recommends a further inquiry, involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about the involvement of foreign agencies in the riots.[20]

Key findings of Justice Thomas Commission[edit]

  • "The patrolling and search for weapons said to be made by the local police were not effective or purposeful. To put shortly, the local police was lethargic in their attitude towards the situation at Marad Beach."[11] (chapter 5, section 37)
  • "It was unfortunate that the household items were damaged at Marad Beach in the presence of police"(chapter 5, section 42)[11]
  • The then Chief Minister A. K. Antony and the then industries minister and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader P. K. Kunhalikutty opposed any CBI probe into the massacre.[21]
  • The report mentions about the role of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the National Development Front (NDF). IUML leaders like C. Mayin Haji and P. P. Moideen Koya were named to be aware of the conspiracy beforehand.[21]

Commission's main recommendation[edit]

The commission's main recommendation, was a further inquiry, involving the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, into the "larger conspiracy" involving fundamentalist and other forces, and into the source of the explosives and funds that the CBCID "failed or refused" to investigate – an act that the commission described as "quite suspicious and disturbing".[5]

Responses on commission's report[edit]

The Home minister of Kerala Government had written to the Union Government on 12 September 2006 recommending the CBI probe into the conspiracy behind the riots and issues such as the involvement of fundamentalist outfits, their foreign connections and source of funding and how they succeeded in secretly stockpiling weapons in the village for use in the riots.[22]

A.K. Antony, who was the Chief Minister during both incidents, differed on Commission findings with a main point that the first round of violence should have included in the report.[23]

Sentencing[edit]

Special court in Kozhikode on 15 January 2009 sentenced 62 of the 63 convicts to life in the May 2003 Marad carnage case.[24] There were a total of 139 accused in the case. In December 2008, additional sessions Judge Babu Mathew P Joseph convicted 62 people for murder while a person was found guilty of abetment. The rest were acquitted of all charges.[citation needed]

Renewed demands for CBI probe[edit]

On 17 April 2012, Kerala High Court observed that there had been "deep conspiracy" behind the incident and that police had failed in investigating it effectively.[25]

The Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan accused Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of trying to sabotage the Marad massacre case. BJP and Hindu Aikya Vedi and CPI(M)'s State secretariat member Elamaram Kareem also called for a probe by the Central agency.[25]

Achuthanandan accused Chandy's Congress-led UDF, which is in coalition with Indian Union Muslim League, of having intervened in the Marad massacre case.[25]

Kerala BJP president V Muraleedharan wanted initiation of a case against senior Muslim League leader MC Mayin Haji who had prior knowledge of massacre plan, according to the Judicial Commission.[25]

New FIR[edit]

In 2016, CBI filed a fresh FIR with Muslim League leaders included in the list of accused.[26]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Marad report slams Muslim League The Indian Express, 27 September 2006
  2. ↑ The Marad massacre Outlook (magazine), 6 June 2003
  3. ↑ The Marad massacre The Hindu, Saturday, 31 May 2003
  4. ↑ "Marad can yet be retrieved". Indiatogether.org.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Marad Shocks: Frontline Weekly". Archived from the original on 12 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "Marad riots: Five years on, 63 found guilty". Rediff.com.
  7. ↑ "62 get a lifer". Ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009.
  8. ↑ "Marad shocks". The Hindu Frontline. 7 October 2006.
  9. ↑ "Kerala sits on riot report indicting Cong govt, Muslim League". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  10. ↑ NDF behind Marad massacre?[1].
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Copy of Thomas P Joseph Commission" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Weapons seized Archived 14 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "Marad: How politicians fanned a communal riot". Rediff.com.
  14. ↑ "Marad case: Kummanam's Request". The Hindu. 25 April 2004. Archived from the original on 22 June 2004.
  15. ↑ "NDF welcomes the CBI inquiry". Ndfindia.com. 27 January 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  16. ↑ "CBI should also probe first Marad riot". The Hindu. 3 October 2006. Archived from the original on 23 October 2006.
  17. ↑ "Anticipatory bail: Single Judge's directions set aside". The Hindu. 21 July 2006. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007.
  18. ↑ "All cases to go to new court in a week". The Hindu. 11 January 2004. Archived from the original on 30 May 2004.
  19. ↑ "The Hindu : Home Page News & Features". Frontline. Hinduonnet.com. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  20. ↑ "Probe into Marad riots". The Times of India. 28 September 2006. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Kerala tables Marad massacre report By IANS, Wednesday, 27 September 2006, 12:30 IST
  22. ↑ CBI probe into Marad carnage – kerala.gov "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. ↑ "Antony differs with Marad panel findings". The Hindu. 30 September 2006. Archived from the original on 6 November 2006.
  24. ↑ "Kerala court awards life sentence to 62 accused in Marad case". Zee News. 15 January 2009.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 "Marad massacre: Call for CBI probe intensifies". Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  26. ↑ Reporter, Staff (19 January 2017). "CBI registers fresh FIR in second Marad riot case". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

External links[edit]

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