Neighbours in Kochi remember him as a soft-spoken and mild-mannered person, who never had a brush with anyone.
Published Oct 30, 2023 | 9:47 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 30, 2023 | 10:01 PM
Screengrab from a video of the aftermath of the Kalamassery blasts in Kerala on 29 October.
A sense of disbelief prevailed a day after 48-year-old Dominic Martin claimed responsibility for the blasts at a convention centre in Kerala’s Kochi that killed three people, including a 12-year-old girl.
Despite investigators feeling his statements to be true, those who knew the former Spoken English teacher were yet to come to terms with the fact that he had indeed planted the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at a prayer meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Kalamassery on Sunday.
The calm, composed and articulate manner in which he described the motive behind the ghastly act added to the disbelief, though a leading psychiatrist in Kochi was not surprised.
His arrest was formally recorded on Monday, 30 October.
Most baffled was BA Jaleel, Martin’s landlord for the past five-and-a-half years at Thammanam. The accused and his family, comprising a wife, an IT professional daughter, and a son, now studying in the United Kingdom, have been living on the first floor of Jaleel’s house.
Dominic Martin in his video message. (Screengrab)
Jaleel recalled Martin as a soft-spoken man, who seldom mingled with the neighbours. The statement he made on Facebook Live before surrendering before the police in the Thrissur district was clear, smooth, and devoid of repetitions — as if he had rehearsed it in advance.
Notwithstanding the brutality of the crime, Martin looked exceptionally calm on the video, his articulation skills standing out.
“He never looked like a habitual offender. Initially, I felt a lot of disbelief, as his contextualisation was highly professional and skilled. He brought many elements to the statement, including patriotism, social accountability, co-existence, plurality, and harmony between different social and religious groups,” KA Sheeba, an assistant professor of History at the Government Maharajah’s College told South First.
“How can a man who developed explosives by learning from the internet and buying materials from the local market to kill fellow people talk in such a profound manner without losing his composure,” she wondered.
Sheeba, who lives a little away from Thammanam, said the people whom she interacted with had not come across Martin earlier.
Noted Kochi-based psychiatrist Dr CJ John found nothing extraordinary in Martin’s composure.
“Such violence and criminality may be seen in people who move out of extreme religious organisations and cults after blindly following them for several years. Their reactions, too, would be blind, just like their loyalty,” he told South First.
“Martin might have lost his logic and senses once he developed extreme hatred for the organisation, which he loved for a long time. His mind might have been shaped in such a way that he was least bothered about the hardships his actions would cause to the innocent people around him. He must have been harbouring hatred towards the organisation for a long time,” the doctor said.
“His mind must have deteriorated to the level of a terrorist or extremist, and he might have falsely assumed that he was doing something good in the larger interests of society,” Dr John added.
The psychiatrist felt that Martin might have crossed a point where his desire for extreme vengeance became stronger than his sense of reason and compassion.
Landlord Jaleel recalled Martin as a tenant who never defaulted on rent and was gentle. He also confirmed that Martin had returned from Dubai just two months ago after a brief stint there to recover from a financial crisis.
Though Martin had studied only until the 10th standard, he was proficient in both English and Hindi, besides Malayalam. His language skills helped him become a Spoken English trainer in Ernakulam for a long time.
He discontinued the Spoken English training class during the Covid-induced lockdown.
Meanwhile, the police on Monday, 30 October, formally recorded the arrest of Martin. A senior police officer said the arrest was recorded at 7 pm.
He has been charged under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Substances Act, criminal conspiracy, murder and attempt to murder.
On Sunday evening, a 21-member special investigation team (SIT) of the Kerala Police, headed by ADGP Ajith Kumar, was set up to probe the blast case.
Currently, 21 persons are still under treatment for injuries suffered in the blasts, and of them 16 are in the ICU, a state Health Department bulletin said.
Of the 16, three are in critical condition, it said.
Jaleel said Martin’s wife and daughter came to know of his involvement in the blast through the television. They rushed downstairs came crying and had not eaten anything since, he said.
People close to Martin’s family confirmed that they were all part of the cult, but distanced from it later. None of them were active in the cult for the past four years.
However, his wife’s family continued to maintain links with the cult, and his mother-in-law was present at the prayer meeting when the blast occurred. She escaped unhurt and was unaware of Martin’s plans.
Local ward councillor T Sakeer said he contacted Martin’s wife, who told him that she was unaware of Martin’s extreme thoughts. The councillor also said that Martin had been a foreman earlier, and it might have helped him make IEDs by attending YouTube tutorials.
“He had done it with clinical precision. He had arranged everything. According to the available information, he took a video on his mobile phone to show the whole process of developing and planting explosives. He probably wanted to be known as the person who exposed the cult and taught it a lesson,” retired IPS officer N Subhash Babu said.
On Saturday night, 28 October, he reportedly told his wife that he would leave home to meet a friend early on Sunday morning. He left Thammanam around 5 am, and went to a vacant house belonging to his wife’s family at Aluva in Ernakulam.
It is believed that he clandestinely built the explosives on the terrace of that house.
Jaleel said Martin had no close contacts or friends in the locality, as he was very reserved. He said Martin hails from the neighbourhood of Elamkulam.
Meanwhile, the cult continued to maintain that it was unaware of Martin and his involvement in its activities.
“We are still confused about the congregation to which he is affiliated. We asked our members to share details about him. Our members confirmed that Martin had attended many prayer meetings. But nobody recalls him getting into any altercation or disagreement with anybody,” TA Sreekumar, regional public relations in charge of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, was quoted as saying in reports.
“His modus operandi is perplexing. He is ready to face the consequences, as he recorded everything on his phone and surrendered before the police after posting a video on social media clarifying his position. He might have developed such an animosity towards the organisation,” Sojan James, an advocate with Kerala High Court who lives in Thamamnam, said.
Meanwhile, Martin’s allegations against the cult have raised questions about the activities of the organisation.
Sreekumar refused to respond to Martin’s allegations that it encouraged boycotting elections and not joining the army.
