The Hindu : Kozhikode Collector denies charge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 11, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Kozhikode Collector denies charge

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE MAY 10. The District Collector, T. O. Sooraj, today said there was no truth in the criticism about his handling of the post-massacre situation at Marad.

The District Collector said he had been all along impartial and his work had been appreciated by all, except a handful of organisations which he believed wanted to fish in troubled waters.

Mr. Sooraj appealed to his critics to make specific allegations instead of making vague and general statements criticising him so that he would able to clear misgivings in public mind about his conduct.

Meanwhile, the district authorities today distributed cheques for Rs. 95,000 each to the kin of the eight victims of the communal violence.

The District Collector, the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), P. Balan, and other officials, who reached Marad beach in the morning, visited the houses of the victims and handed over the cheques.

A sum of Rs 5,000 had already been given to the families. The State Compensation announced for the ninth victim, Azghar Ibrahim, has been withdrawn since he has been named as an accused in the case.

IUML charge

The Indian Union Muslim League's organisational committee in Beypore Assembly constituency has alleged there was a conspiracy by the CPI(M) to defame party leaders like the CDA Chairman, M. C. Mayin Haji, accusing him of being involved in the Marad massacre.

Mr. Mayin Haji is the president of the Beypore Assembly constituency of the IUML.

A meeting of the League's Beypore unit said "wild and baseless'' allegations were being made against Mr. Mayin Haji to divert the Crime Branch probe from the right track.

An IUML spokesman pointed out that there were 78 Marxists on the list of accused in the Marad riots in 2002.

A majority of those arrests for the massacre on May 2 were also Marxists. A majority of Muslims in Beypore panchayat were CPI(M) sympathisers.

These being the facts, the allegations being made by CPI(M) leaders against the IUML were borne out of an anxiety over the possibility of the ongoing Crime Branch probe exposing CPI(M)'s involvement in the incidents, speakers at the IUML meeting alleged.

It was also pointed out that it was grossly unfair to target Mr. Mayin Haji since he had spearheaded the peace initiative undertaken after the Marad riots in 2002. The League meeting also called for attempts to expose the dark forces behind the Marad carnage and to bring the culprits to book.

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