The Malayalam professor in Kerala whose right hand was chopped off by a group of angry Muslims in 2010 after he prepared a controversial question paper, deemed as blaspheming Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
13 men found guilty by court and 10 of them have been convicted for conspiring against Professor T J Joseph. The convicts include K H Jamal Hassan, K M Shobin, Shamsudeen Makkar alias Shamsu, Shanavas Abdulla alias Shemeer and Pareeth Aliyar who according to the court were directly involved in the attack. Another 18 men were acquitted while five others, including the first accused Savad Meerankutty, are still on the run. The sentence of those who were found guilty will be pronounced by the court in the coming week.
According to a report published in The American Bazaar the professor was attacked as retribution to a question paper that he prepared that had blasphemous content about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), which hurt the religions sentiments of Muslims. The Newman College Idukki had suspended the professor immediately after the police registered an FIR against him and was later terminated from service as a face saving measure.
The incident that led to the professor losing his palm happened on July 4, 2010 when seven men who are believed to be members of Popular Front of India (a Kerala Muslim outfit), stopped the professor who was returning home along with his mother and sister from a local church. The men attacked using sharp weapons, which led to the professor and his sister getting badly wounded. The professor’s right hand was cut off during the attack and was later surgically restored.