The Kollam police have registered an attempt to murder case against a group of men after a 24-year-old man who renounced Islam filed a complaint saying that he was attacked and was facing threats from within the community for doing so.
The Kollam police on Sunday registered the case after a complaint from Askar Ali, who hails from Malappuram. Ali, who has completed a 12-year Hudawi religious programme from a prominent religious academy in Malappuram, was in Kollam on Sunday to deliver a talk on his experience as a student of Islamic studies. He was to speak at an event organised by Essense Global, an organisation promoting “scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform in society”.
According to Ali’s complaint, a group of people from Malappuram tried to abduct him to ensure that he did not address the event. “They took me to Kollam beach, where I was manhandled. They destroyed my mobile phone and tore my clothes. They forcibly took me to a vehicle and tried to lock me inside. When locals raised an alarm, the police saved me,” he said.
According to Essense Global, Ali then delivered his address in the presence of police. In a video, Ali spoke about his experience as a student of Islamic studies, alleged sexual harassment during his studies and his journey towards “the path of humanism”.
Meanwhile, on April 30, Ali’s family filed a missing complaint in Malappuram. On Monday night, the Malappuram police produced Ali before a local magistrate’s court, which allowed him to live as per his wish. According to Ali, his decision to renounce his faith has not gone down well with his family. “Ali did not want to go with his family and the court allowed him to live as per his wish. He has not sought any protection,” a police official said.