Marad Massacre

The Marad massacre was the incident of religious violence leading to the killing of Hindus and Muslim at the Marad Beach of the Kozhikode district, Kerala, India.

Quotes

• The extent of jihadi entrenchment in Kerala was demonstrated in 2003 in Marad, a sleepy coastal fishing village, where eight Hindu fishermen were hacked to death by a Muslim mob on the beach. The killers then hid inside the nearby Jumma Masjid, where hundreds of local Muslim women converged to prevent the police from entering to catch the attackers. This became known as the Marad Massacre or Second Moplah Massacre. Justice Thomas P. Joseph’s commission was set up to investigate the massacre, and it came out with shocking details about the robust infrastructure that the jihadis had built in Kerala. The assistant commissioner of police testified before the commission, stating that National Development Front (NDF) had been receiving very large funds from unspecified foreign countries to carry out its terror training. The commission reported that the Crime Branch had failed to inquire into the source of funds for such a large quantity of weapons and well coordinated attacks.
  • Quoted from Malhotra, R., Nīlakantan, A. (Princeton, N.J.). (2011). Breaking India: Western interventions in Dravidian and Dalit faultlines

• Another disturbing dimension that the commission brought out was the nexus of politicians, bureaucrats and jihadis. The assistant commissioner was severely criticized for the way he tried to shield one of the prime accused, and for his failure to maintain surveillance on a suspected militant despite intelligence warnings. This police officer tried to remain involved in the massacre area even after he had been transferred in the ‘public interest’. The commission pointed out that his appointment was ‘shrouded in suspicious circumstances’ and that allegations of his links with the terrorists could not be ignored. The commission reported that this official had been appointed without knowledge of the police head and this was done ‘to oblige a Muslim leader’.
  • Quoted from Malhotra, R., Nīlakantan, A. (Princeton, N.J.). (2011). Breaking India: Western interventions in Dravidian and Dalit faultlines

• It may be years before the gory scene at Marad fades from the minds of the many families who lived at the beach.
  • Terrorism in India By Ved Prakash

• This arguably is the first case in India where the game of politics was played employing terrorist methods .
  • Terrorism in India By Ved Prakash

• The Marad massacre of Hindu fishermen by the Moslems has been conveniently ignored by the nation.
  • India Secularism in Decline a Narrative By Dr. K.V.Sangameswaran