Kerala Police took action against Sathar Panthallur, the vice-president of the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF), on Sunday (14th January) for making provocative statements during an SKSSF protest called Muqaddas in Malappuram. The incident, captured on video, went viral on social media.
In the video, Panthallur is seen making threatening remarks, stating that SKSSF activists will resort to hand-chopping against anyone attempting to tarnish, insult, or attack Samastha leaders.
He said, “We (Samastha) have reached a stage where the CM and the opposition leader are requesting us to give them a time slot to visit our office. And that is only because the people of this nation have been able to understand what Samastha is. Many people are trying to act against Samastha because they are not happy with the increasing acceptance that Samastha is having among the people. If our workers are targeted, we do have the ability to target them back. Because as far as we are concerned, we are not obligated to anybody. Our only obligation is to Samastha Kerala Jamiat Ulema. And if anybody tries to cause difficulties to the great scholars and Usthads of Samastha Kerala Jamiat Ulema SKSSF workers will come forward to chop off the hands of such people. You just need to understand that this is a warning from those workers of Samastha who are dedicated to this organisation.”
Panthallur also expressed concern over the influence of Wahhabism in the Muslim community, condemning its ideological endorsement of terrorist organizations like ISIS. He suggested that the Muslim community in Kerala would have faced burdens if Samastha had not compromised and aligned with such groups. A complaint against Panthallur was lodged by a man named Ashraf Kalathingal. The comments have drawn disappointment from Samastha and the Muslim League.
Samastha, an association of Sunni scholars, holds the strongest support among Kerala Muslims. Within Samastha, there exist two factions with differing affiliations. While one faction leans towards the IUML (Muslim League), the other aligns itself with the CPI(M). Notably, the recent controversial comments are a manifestation of an ongoing conflict between the Muslim League (IUML) and Samastha.
We all have heard of the PFI and its activities. It is noteworthy that although PFI operated as a violent political organization and Samastha is regarded as a scholarly body, they both share something in common – both exhibit a propensity to employ violence without hesitation.
In 2010, a set of PFI extremists executed the very threat articulated here against a college professor, TJ Joseph, in Kerala. The primary perpetrator behind the mentioned attack was apprehended last week by the NIA in Kannur, Kerala, after evading arrest for nearly a decade.
