Attack on professor ‘well planned’: DGP

The attack on a private college lecturer, whose right hand was chopped off for preparing an alleged inflammatory question paper, was a “well planned” one, a top police official said on Thursday.

Kerala DGP Jacob Punnose, who this morning visited the scene of the crime where Prof. T.J. Joseph was attacked, told reporters that “it was a well planned attack” and the accused had hatched a conspiracy, spent money and resources to “meticulously” carry out the attack.

Police would make use of scientific methods to investigate the case, he said.

Replying to a query, he said police had not yet received any information that some accused had fled the country. “We have information about the accused and hunt is on for them,” he said.

Rural SP, T. Vikram, told PTI that the DGP had said the investigation was going on in the right direction and efforts to strengthen the probe team by mobilising officers from other parts of the State would be made.

Meanwhile, police continued searches and raids on the houses of various suspects and activists of the Popular Front (PF) and seized some pamphlets and CDs criticising the LDF government in Kerala.

Prof. Joseph, head of the department of Malayalam at a private Christian college at Muvattapuzha in the district, had been attacked allegedly by activists belonging to Muslim fundamentalist outfit Popular Front while he was returning with family after Sunday mass on July 4.

His right hand was chopped off for allegedly preparing a question paper with derogatory references to Prophet Mohammed.

Prof. Joseph was arrested in April last after the question paper set by him for the B Com II year internal exams sparked protests by Muslim outfits, which claimed it had hurt their religious sentiments. He was later suspended from college and was out on bail when attacked.