Kerala writer receives threats from zealots, CM promises action 

Religious fanatics have threatened K P Ramanunni, a popular Malayali novelist and short-story writer for writing editorials in a newspaper supporting Hindu-Muslim unity. He received threats that he should either convert to Islam within six months or be ready to face the punishment. The writer has filed a police complaint on Friday after receiving the letter.

“The letter states that I would have the same fate as of professor TJ Joseph whose right palm was chopped off in 2010 by Muslim fundamentalists (the perpetrators claim that he made inflammatory remarks about Prophet Mohammed in an internal examination). I decided to complain to the police only after my close friends asked me to do so,” said Ramanunni.

Ramanunni is famous for promoting religious harmony and promoting Hindu-Muslim unity through his writings. He had written a six-part series on the necessity of Hindu-Muslim harmony for Madhyamam, a daily run by the Jamaat-e-Islami, a Muslim religious organisation in Kerala.

According to the writer, the articles were widely appreciated and were written with a genuine interest.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government will not be a silent spectator to threats to writers and other creative people. Kerala has always allowed creative people to express their free and frank opinion and it has always been a reflection of their freedom.

Meanwhile, in a different case, a woman professor has been attacked on social media and threatened with an acid attack for praising MF Husain’s Saraswati painting.

The police have registered a case and have begun a probe.