Thiruvananthapuram: Five years after a Kerala professor’s right hand was chopped off by Muslim extremists, 14 people have been found guilty by a court in Ernakulam, Kochi.
In 2010, T J Joseph, who taught Malayalam at a college in the Iduki district, was attacked by members of the Popular Front of India. The extremist group said an exam he conducted included a “blasphemous” question. A mob slashed his hand with knives while he was walking home from church after attending Sunday Mass with his family.
The conviction came as Joseph, 57, released a book he has written. His right palm has been stitched back together by doctors. “When I wrote these notes, it was with my right hand. Today, I introduce it to you with my left hand,” he said at a small event in Iduki.
“I have forgiven everyone. I just intend to live my life as normally as I can in the given circumstances,” he said to NDTV.
It has been a period of extreme strain. After the attack, he was suspended by his college based on demands by religious groups. His wife, unable to bear the financial stress and social ostracization, committed suicide. Jospeh was then allowed to return to work; he retired last year.
The 14 people who have been convicted Thursday will be sentenced on May 5.