The family of Faisal, who was allegedly killed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 2016 for embracing Islam in Kodinhi of Malappuram district in Kerala, blames the CPIM-led state government for delaying the trial by not appointing their preferred special public prosecutor.
The criticism comes against the backdrop of the High Court’s July 9 order directing the state government to appoint P. Kumarankutty as the special prosecutor within six weeks, based on a petition by Faisal’s widow, Jasna. Due to the government’s delay in appointing him, Additional District And Sessions Court, Tirur, the trial court had to postpone the case thrice.
The court has now ordered the government to appoint him by the next hearing on Aug 23.
State Minister for Minority Welfare and Tanur MLA V. Abdurahiman, in whose constituency Faisal was killed, said he was unaware of the incident and did not know much about the murder case, but would investigate.
32-year-old Faisal, formerly Anil Kumar alias Unni, was a fourth-grade dropout and the youngest of three children of an upper-caste Hindu Nair father and a lower-caste Thiyya mother. Faisal worked as a driver for an Arab family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and converted to Islam there in Feb 2016. His wife and three children followed when he returned home for vacation.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.