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Islamic outfit unearthed by Kerala cops may yield vital clues on militancy

D Jose in Trivandrum

The unearthing of a militant Islamic organisation, Jem Iyyathul Islamiya, by the Special Investigation Group of the Kerala Crime Branch is likely to throw up several vital clues on the recent upsurge in Muslim militancy in Kerala.

The SIG, which was set up following the train blasts at Thrissur three years ago, is understood to have unearthed several 'incriminating facts' regarding the activities of the JIL which has 'spread its tentacles in all the districts'.

With 44-year-old Hussain Musaliar as its spiritual head, the JIL is said to comprise 'reckless Muslim youth' and disgruntled members of other militant organisations.

The JIL is said to be a well-structured organisation, with the district unit heads (called amirs ) enjoying benefits like salaries, rented accommodation and a vehicle to coordinate and control the activities of many local units under him. The local units are headed by reys, with a string of naib reys reporting to them.

The SIG suspects the JIL's hand in several militant activities in the state in the past few years.

Crime Branch Superintendent of Police Vijayan Erath told the media on Tuesday that the SIG has clues to establish JIL's role in the abduction of progressive Islamic scholar Chekannur Moulavi. The clues have been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the Moulavi case.

Vijayan alleged that the JIL was also behind the burning of several cinema houses in Malappuram district during Ramzan a few years ago.

The JIL, he alleged, was also involved in the murder of some young Sangh Parivar activists in different parts of the state in the last few years.

However, the SIG could not establish whether the JIL was involved in the storing of bombs and other lethal weapons in Malappuram district prior to the Coimbatore blasts.

The organisation seems to have had the blessings of People's Democratic Front supremo Abdul Nassar Madani, an accused in the Coimbatore blasts. He is said to have inaugurated a JIL protest march in Thrissur some time ago.

Interestingly, the JIL was launched in 1982 at Thrissur, which shares borders with Tamil Nadu. Thrissur and Palakkad had received a lot of police attention following the Coimbatore blasts.

The Kerala government recently discovered a road constructed illegally through the Nelliyampathi forests in Palakkad district between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The government has shut the road by constructing trenches and initiated an investigation into the matter.

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