New Delhi/Kannur | The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested the main accused, absconding for 13 years, in the Kerala professor palm-chopping case of 2010 wherein the academician was attacked in front of his family for alleged blasphemy, officials said.
Savad, a PFI sympathizer who was on the run for the last 13 years and carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh, was arrested from Mattannur in Kerala's Kannur, the agency said in a statement.
The accused had cut off the palm of TJ Joseph for allegedly ridiculing Prophet Mohammed in a Malayalam question paper prepared for the internal examination of B. Com students at Newman College, Thodupuzha in Idukki district.
"Savad was identified as the main accused in the infamous 2010 case of attempted murder of Professor TJ Joseph by chopping off his palm. He was charge-sheeted on 10th January 2011 in the case, one of the earliest such incidents in India reflecting the ideology of violent extremism being pursued by the Popular Front of India (PFI)," NIA spokesperson said.
Reacting to the development, Joseph said he was not concerned much with the arrest of the prime accused in the case as he still believes that the main culprits, the "masterminds" behind the attack on him, were still in hiding.
"The investigation has not reached them. It indicates that our legal system has not grown to that extent," he told reporters outside his residence in Thodupuzha.
The professor said the arrest might come as a relief for the police, but his interest in the matter was only as that of any other individual.
He also said that he does not believe the arrest or punishing of an accused results in justice for the victims.
"It only results in the implementation of the law of the land. It may also quench the thirst for revenge of the victims or their families. However, as I have said in the past, it does not give back what has been lost. Therefore, it does not bring justice to the victim," he said.
On being asked whether he could identify Savad, Joseph said he could as he still remembers the attack by the prime accused.
Nineteen accused have so far been convicted for various offences under IPC and UA(P) Act in the case. Of them, three have been convicted for life and 10 others sent to eight years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and fine.
"All the accused in the case were either leaders or activists/cadres of the now banned PFI and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), and were actively involved in the criminal conspiracy relating to the lethal attack on Professor TJ Joseph at Muvattupuzha," the NIA spokesperson said.
The accused had carried out the barbaric daylight attack on the professor in the presence of his family members on July 4, 2010 when he was returning from the church after Sunday morning mass and hurled a bomb to spread terror among the public before escaping from the scene, the spokesperson said.
"The attack had exposed the PFI's nefarious and violent intent and designs to terrorise people and society by targeting the critics of Islam and prominent persons of other religions, and to enforce the decisions of 'Dar-ul-Khada', their pseudo Taliban- styled court," she said.
Initially state police registered the FIR at Muvattupuzha police station in Ernakulam district which was later transferred to NIA.
"The NIA has been consistently tightening the noose around the PFI across India. Several cases registered by the agency against PFI have revealed a conspiracy to overthrow India's democratically elected government and establish an Islamic State in the country by 2047," the spokesperson said.
