"This hand which insulted the Islam will not be used in future,” the terror assailants had asserted in Malayalam when they chopped off the palm of professor T.J. Joseph on July 4, 2010. The heinous crime, investigated by the National Investigation Agency, has gone down in the history of law enforcement agencies as a classic case of how attempts are made to create communal discord and disharmony.
Professor T.J. Joseph | Manoramanews
In a latest development in the case, the NIA on Saturday arrested an absconding accused, 47-year-old Mansoor, hailing from Aluva in Ernakulam district of Kerala for allegedly being part of the criminal conspiracy that led to the ''terror act''.
Joseph, a former lecturer with the Newman College at Thodupuzha, was attacked by a seven-member gang with deadly weapons and explosive materials following a controversy over a question paper he had prepared. The attack took place around 8 am when Joseph was on his way back home from the church after the Sunday mass in his Maruti Wagon-R along with his mother Elikutty and sister Sr. Stella
NIA officials said the attack was not a spur of the moment. In fact, each move had been planned and rehearsed over several secret meetings at various locations. It was here that the role of Mansoor was explained.
The chargesheet filed by the NIA, bears testimony to the fact that Mansoor was part of the conspiracy hatched over a long period of time.
According to the chargesheet, ''Mansoor was working as district secretary of Popular Front of India (PFI) in Ernakulam during 2010 and, perturbed by the alleged ridiculing of Prophet Mohammed by Professor Joseph, pursued the common objective of the accused persons to avenge by way of committing terrorist acts.''
The chargesheet says that the criminal conspiracy was first hatched at Seema Auditorium at Perumbavoor on March 28 evening when several chargesheeted accused including M.K. Noushad, Moideen Kunhu and others held a meeting and decided to commit the terrorist act on the professor. Mansoor was present at this meeting.
"It was decided in the conspiracy meeting, that others have to be recruited into this terrorist gang. Further, it was also decided in that conspiracy meeting that there shall be different teams with specific purposes and M.K. Nasar will be the leader of all the teams," says the chargesheet.
Several follow-up meetings were held, including the one which was held at the house of a PFI activist at Kakkanad on the evening of July 3. Meetings were also conducted at Perumbavoor the next day after the attack. Mansoor was present in these meetings. Mansoor is also accused of harbouring the assailants, causing disappearance of evidence and providing financial assistance to their families.
"Mansoor had willfully joined as a member in the terrorist gang with the knowledge that it was constituted for terrorist activity and acted as a member of a terrorist gang, facilitated the lethal attack and caused terror by exploding explosive substance, caused communal disharmony and fear in the minds of the general public besides creating panic and hatred among different communities," says the NIA.
They did so by "by creating terror, facilitating the attack by being members of the terrorist gang, destroying the evidence and harbouring the assailants or other accused persons involved in this crime." Mansoor was produced before trial court in Ernakulam on Saturday.
It may be recalled that the case was originally registered as an FIR on July 4, 2010 at Muvattupuzha Police Station in Ernakulam district. "All of them (the accused) were leaders or activists of Popular Front of India (PFI)/ Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), who were accused of being involved in the criminal conspiracy and consequent lethal attack on Professor Joseph,” said NIA officials.
On April 30, 2015, the NIA special court in Ernakulam had completed trial against 31 accused in the case and convicted 13 of them for various offences including those under the UAPA Act. On June 1, 2017, the NIA had filed third supplementary chargesheet against six accused including Mansoor and booked them for offences punishable under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
