The accused wanted to kill Joseph for what they deemed were “derogatory religious remarks” in a question paper.
Published Aug 24, 2024 | 12:38 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 24, 2024 | 12:38 AM
A file picture of Joseph with wife Salomi, who committed suicide unable to withstand the sufferings.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday, 24 August stated that it had arrested Shafeer, the harborer of the prime accused in the infamous palm chopping case.
The accused, C Shafeer, a cadre of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), had provided shelter to Savad when the latter had absconded after the attack on retired professor TJ Joseph, at Muvattupuzha in July 2010.
NIA said that its investigations have revealed that Shafeer was himself purportedly involved in several violent acts for PFI.
Savad was earlier taken into custody by NIA from Kannur in January 2024 with the help of various security agencies after evading arrest for more than 13 years.
Thirteen years after cadres of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) chopped off the right hand of TJ Joseph, the prime accused – Savad – was nabbed by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) from Mattannur near Kannur.
As per the prosecution charges, Savad fled from the scene of the incident on 4 July, 2010, with the small axe he used to chop off the hand of the professor and, till January this year, had been absconding without any communication with fellow accused or the PFI leadership.
Agencies have failed so far to find the axe he used to commit the crime. Though there was initial information about his movement from Thodupuzha in the Idukki district to Aluva after committing the crime, no credible details of his whereabouts were available since then.
A total of 19 accused have so far been convicted for various offences under the IPC and UPA Act in the case, in which the professor’s palm was brutally chopped off for allegedly ridiculing Prophet Mohammed in a Malayalam question paper, prepared for the internal examination of B Com students at Newman College, Thodupuzha, in Kerala’s Idukki district.
Since the incident in July, 2010, the sensational case that shocked the whole nation has remained alive, with courts punishing most of the other accused. The attack occurred while Joseph was returning home with his family after attending Sunday Mass at a church close to his residence located between Thodupuzha and Muvattupuzha. The attackers pulled the professor out of the vehicle, assaulted him, and then chopped off his right hand.
According to the initial probe by the police, the accused wanted to kill Joseph for what they deemed were “derogatory religious remarks” in a question paper he set for the B.Com semester examination at Newman College in Thodupuzha.
A special NIA court awarded life sentences to three people in the case last year. The second accused, Sajil (36), the third accused, MK Nasar (46) and the fifth accused, KA Najeeb (42), are the three people undergoing life terms now.
(Edited by Neena with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
(South First is now on WhatsApp and Telegram)
