Marad massacre
# Marad massacre

The Marad massacres were two incidences of religious violence that occurred in 2002 and 2003 at Marad Beach in Kerala, India. The 2002 incident led to five deaths; three Hindus and two Muslims were killed when scuffles that began as a trivial altercation over drinking water at a public tap became violent. Out of 393 people arrested, 62 were members of Indian Union Muslim League was convicted for life imprisonment.

In the 2003 Marad massacre, eight Hindus were killed by Islamic extremists, one of whom, Mohammed Ashker, was hit by accident and was also killed. A judicial commission that investigated the incident concluded leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) were directly involved in both the conspiracy and the massacre. The commission said the 2003 incident was "a clear communal conspiracy, with Muslim fundamentalist organisations involved". The commission could not find evidence to support the involvement of foreign organisations. The attackers threw bombs with the intention of inflicting more deaths but the bombs did not explode.

In 2009, the courts sentenced 62 Muslims to life imprisonment for committing the massacre – most of whom belonged to the IUML, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Development Front (NDL).

## January 2002 riots

On 3 and 4 January 2002 at Marad Beach, Kozhikode district, Kerala, India, scuffles between two groups that began as a trivial altercation over drinking water at a public tap descended into violence, in which three Hindus and two Muslims were killed. Police who were present watched the incident but failed to capture the criminals. Out of 393 people arrested, 213 were members of political parties Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) , 86 were from Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), 78 were from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and two were from the Indian National League (INL), National Development Front (NDF) – now renamed the Popular Front of India – and other parties. Government troops were later sent to patrol the area.

### Convictions

On 27 December 2008, a special court convicted 63 people in a case relating to the May 2003 communal attack at Marad Beach. Seventy-six others were acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

On 15 January 2009: A sessions court in Kozhikode gave life sentences to 62 of 63 convicts in 2001's Marad carnage case. One convict, who has already served five years in jail, was released.

## May 2003 riots

On 2 May 2003, in the early evening, eight Hindus were hacked to death by a Muslim mob on the beach after reeling in their day's catch. One of the attackers, Mohammed Ashker, was also killed during the incident.

Initial investigation report of the Crime Branch Inspector General of Police Mahesh Kumar Singhla indicated the NDF was responsible for the killings. Government troops later unearthed a large cache of weapons, including 17 bombs. The police commissioner TK Vinod Kumar stated: "It was an operation carried out by a well-knit organization. It was a quick and sudden attack which was over in 10 minutes. The attack came from a particular community."

## Aftermath and exodus of residents

The Marad killings created a sense of insecurity for the local inhabitants that continues. Police, judiciary and legislature prolonged the case and were unable to bring the perpetrators of the 2002 and 2003 Marad killings to police in spite of continuous requests from sects. The judiciary did not convict all of the 134 arrested persons.

## Inquiry commission

The Marad massacres caused public anger against the apathetic approach of the investigating agency and the growth of religious fundamentalism in Kerala. There were persistent demands for a judicial enquiry into the incidents; to effect this, the then-UDF government appointed District and Sessions Judge Thomas P. Joseph to the Commission of Inquiry. Joseph submitted his report in February 2006 and the LDF ministry tabled the report in September 2006. The report said a person known as "F.M." (Finance Minister) had funded the massacre and also accused political parties and government officials, including the District Collector T.O. Sooraj Mohamed. A person named Hilal Mohammed, who was handling the smuggling of counterfeit goods at Calicut Airport, filed a petition demanding a probe into his alleged involvement in the matter. Both of these petitions were filed through Advocate S. K. Premraj. During the hearing, Premraj said Hilal Mohammed's life was under imminent threat. The role of IUML leader P. P. Modieen Koya and Mayin Haji, then-chairman of Kozhikode Development Authority was also highlighted in the report. The commission also recommended a further inquiry involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about the involvement of foreign agencies in the riots.

### Key findings

Key findings of the commission were that patrols and search for weapons by local police were ineffective; the police's attitude to the situation was called "lethargic". (chapter 5, section 37). The damaging of household items in the presence of police was called "unfortunate". (chapter 5, section 42) Chief Minister A. K. Antony and Industries Minister and IUML leader P. K. Kunhalikutty opposed any CBI investigation into the massacre. The report mentions the role of the IUML and the NDF; IUML leaders C. Mayin Haji and P. P. Moideen Koya, whom it said were aware of the conspiracy beforehand.

### Main recommendation

The commission's main recommendation was a further inquiry involving the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the CBI and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence into the "larger conspiracy" involving fundamentalist and other forces, and into the source of the explosives and funds the CBCID "failed or refused" to investigate – an act that the commission described as "quite suspicious and disturbing".

### Responses to commission's report

The Home Minister of Kerala had written to the Union Government on 12 September 2006 recommending the CBI probe into the conspiracy behind the riots; the involvement of fundamentalist organisations, their foreign connections and source of funding; and how they succeeded in secretly stockpiling weapons in the village for use in the riots. A.K. Antony, who was the Chief Minister during both incidents, differed on the commission's findings, saying the first round of violence should have been included in the report.

## Sentencing

On 15 January 2009, a special court in Kozhikode sentenced 62 of the 63 convicted defendants to life for their involvement in the May 2003 Marad massacre. There were 139 accused in the case. In December 2008, additional sessions judge Babu Mathew P Joseph convicted 62 people for murder while one person was found guilty of abetting. The other defendants were acquitted of all charges.

## Renewed demands for CBI probe

On 17 April 2012, Kerala High Court saidthere had been a "deep conspiracy" behind the incident and that police had failed to effectively investigating it. Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had tried to sabotage the Marad massacre case. BJP and Hindu Aikya Vedi and CPI(M)'s State secretariat member Elamaram Kareem also called for a probe by the Central agency. Achuthanandan said Chandy's Congress-led United Democratic Front, which was in coalition with the IUML, of having intervened in the case. Kerala BJP president V. Muraleedharan wanted to initiate a case against senior Muslim League leader MC Mayin Haji, who had prior knowledge of massacre plan, according to the Judicial Commission.

### New FIR

In 2016, CBI filed a fresh First Information Report with Muslim League leaders included in the list of accused. In November 2021, the special additional court sentenced two people to double-life jail terms.

