THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A curious bonhomie between the Marad Araya Samajam and Marad Mahallu Committee has come to light with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s announcement at a reception accorded to him at Marad beach in Kozhikode the other day that the government would take steps to grant parole to convicts of the Marad riots. The two groups which triggered communal violence in 2002 and 2003 and which claimed 14 precious lives are now sidestepping from the blood stained past to facilitate parole for the convicts of both sides. In spite of the fact that both communities had come on a common platform to accept the freebies from the government (goats were distributed to 275 families) the real victims have not accepted the move to grant parole to criminal elements. Some leaders of both communities, victims and relatives of those killed in the riots, have raised doubts about the genuineness of the new-found camaraderie between the two communities. Sangh Parivar organisations, which had spearheaded the agitation for a CBI probe into the massacre, have curiously dissociated themselves from the move and the onus was passed on to the Marad Araya Samajam leaders in taking a decision. Speaking to ‘Express’ over phone from Kozhikode, Ravi, secretary of the Samajam, said that he had not associated with the move personally. ‘’We have selected a five- member committee to discuss the issue of parole with the Mahallu Committee members. The Mahallu committee also formed a sub- committee with five members for the purpose,’’ he said. Together, they had approached the Chief Minister along with the District Collector and the City Police Commissioner last month. While 68 of the convicts in the Marad riot of 2003 are serving life terms, 11 of the Araya Samajam members are undergoing imprisonment for five years in the first Marad riot case. Ravi, who had lost his brother Chandran in the 2003 riots, said that he is yet to get over the pain and anguish his family had experienced over these years. However, he said he did not express any objection to the move.Aali of Kinattinarikathu, Marad, a fisherman, whose son Nawas, one of the accused in the first Marad riot case, had to remain in jail for over six years before being acquitted for want of evidence, told ‘Express’ over phone that the majority of the people of Marad are repenting for their past mistakes. He, however, expressed the same feeling that the leadership of both the communities could have averted the violence and avoided the loss of precious lives had they worked out a peace pact after the bloodshed. ‘’The altercation was over taking drinking water from public tap. Now we have started offering tea to each other. We go to sea for fishing together,” he said. P P Moitheenkoya, secretary of the Marad Mahallu Committee, told ‘Express’ that 90 per cent of the people of Marad had realised their mistake and had made it clear that they would not go back to the old ways. “Life has changed here, children have started going to school. It is better life now,” he said. Moitheenkoya also had lost his brother Kunhikoya in the first Marad riots.
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