Kerala novelist threatened, told to ‘convert to Islam in six months’

An anonymous letter to K.P Ramanunni threatens to chop off his limbs if he doesn’t convert

K.P. Ramanunni

An anonymous hand-written letter has warned writer K.P. Ramanunni to face the prospect of having his limbs chopped if he does not convert to Islam within six months.

Mr. Ramanunni told The Hindu that he received the letter five days ago, but had initially regarded it as frivolous. However, on the advice of other writers, he lodged a complaint with the Kozhikode City Police Commissioner on Friday.

Hindu-Muslim harmony

Mr. Ramanunni said the letter-writer was apparently irked by a series of articles he had published in the Madhyamam newspaper counselling Hindus and Muslims, against the backdrop of increasing communal animosity in Kerala, to live in peace and harmony.

In the article, he had pointed out that the Hindu-Muslim divide was the handiwork of the British colonialists. He had also highlighted the virtues of the two religious communities.

The letter-writer alleged that though Mr. Ramanunni had on occasions sympathised with Muslims, he was more dangerous than an ultra-communalist.

In the Madhaymam articles, the letter writer alleged, he had criticised Islamic principles and had tried to mislead ‘innocent Muslims.’ He wondered how could Mr. Ramanunni treat on equal terms Hinduism which was polytheistic while Islam was monotheistic.

A reminder

The letter-writer said he was not going to kill Mr. Ramanunni. But reminding the novelist of the chopping of the forearm of the Thodupuzha teacher T.J. Joseph, he warned that Mr. Ramanunni’s right hand and left leg would be chopped off if he did not convert to Islam within six months.