Kerala: Police issues notice to PFI leaders

The special team investigating the Kerala hand-chopping case has issued a notice to the state president of the Popular Front of India, Nasirudin Elamaram, and its national executive member Professor P Koya.

Activists of the PFI had allegedly chopped off Professor T J Joseph's right palm over an "insulting reference" to the Prophet Mohammed in a question paper set by him.

The notice asks both the leaders to appear before the Muvattupuzha circle inspector. Nasiruddin has been summoned on Thursday while Koya has been asked to appear before the officer on Monday.

A Ganesh Nadar adds: Two other leaders of the PFI, general secretary Abdul Hameed and president of the Imam Council, a sister organisation, Ashraf Maulavi, had been summoned to the Muvattupuzha police station on Monday, but the two told the officials that they should be given a week's time to appear before the investigating officer.

The investigating officer, P P Shams, told rediff.com, "They have requested a weeks' time. We considered their request and decided to wait for a week. But if they don't appear before us in that time, we will issue a lookout notice and take further action."

The PFI now faces a possible ban following intelligence reports about the inflammatory and anti-national literature produced by it.

Highly-placed sources said investigations into the hand-chopping incident are on the right track and the notice to the PFI's state leadership has put the organisation on the back foot.