IUML activists in riot cases flee to Middle East

KOZHIKODE: Activists of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), who are accused in the recent riots in Kanhangad, have done a ‘vanishing act’, according to top police sources. Majority of the accused escaped to the Middle East in group visas and to certain cities outside the state, soon after the riots that took place in Kanhangad in October.Sources maintained that the activists misused the  concession given by the police in view of the Bakrid celebrations. “Following pressure from the local leaders of the Muslim League, the police softened their stand during the festival days and stopped raids on houses. There was an understanding that the accused would surrender to the police after the festival. However, according to reports, as many as 400 accused left the state soon after the festival day. As against the understanding, only nine people surrendered to the police,” an official told ‘Express’ on condition of anonymity.IUML Kasargod district president Cherkkalam Abdulla, when asked about the issue, said, “Those people who received visas during the period might have left the state. How could we know that the accused included IUML activists? It was the Marxist workers who launched an all-out attack against the IUML workers. They have attacked seven mosques, four madrasas, two school buses and a yatimkhana (orphanage). We did not even pelt a stone at any temple.”Realising the communal colour in the riots, police took as many as 130 cases on non-bailable charges under Section 153 (A) (Promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony). Four separate police teams have been constituted to probe the issue and out of the around 780 accused, the police have arrested nearly 230 people till now. Irked by the police report terming the incident as communal clash, the IUML Kasargod district leadership has been put pressure on the officials to withdraw the Section 153(A) from the cases charged against the accused in the riots and label the cases as political. Party leaders have already decided to approach Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for the same. Sources maintained that the plan is to evade arrest of activists till getting an assurance from the officials regarding the withdrawal of Section 153(A) from the cases.