Apparently, a murder conviction does little to your popularity if you are rich.
An unbelievable meeting was held in Thrissur’s Muttichool centre Manhal Palace auditorium on Thursday afternoon. Over 100 people came together to ‘save’ one man: Mohammed Nisham, who is presently serving a life term in the Kannur Central Jail.
A beedi-tycoon, Nisham was found guilty of killing Chandrabose, a security guard at his apartment complex, by running his Hummer over him for not opening the gate on time. The Thrissur District Additional Sessions Court gave him a life term, with an additional 24 years for the murder.
Getting that conviction was not easy for Chandrabose’s family. There were allegations that the high and mighty in Kerala were trying to influence the case to get Nisham out. From police constables to the DGP of Kerala, a lot of people were accused of trying to help him. Threats were issued to Chandrabose’s family, there were attempts bribe them to take the case back.
Despite all this, Chandrabose’s wife stood Jamanthi stood firm and won the case at the Kerala court.
As the case progressed, a lot of truths about Nisham came to the fore. He was accused in several cases, had misbehaved with a whole host of people including a policewoman, and had a domestic violence case against him filed by his wife.But suddenly, two days ago, a PR campaign seems to have gotten underfoot, attempting to ‘rebrand’ Mohammed Nisham as a philanthropist and a kind soul.
It started with a notice circulated in social media platforms, informing people of a meeting to be held to ‘save’ him.
The notice portrayed Nisham to be a kind hearted, selfless man who always helped his natives. And shockingly, it claimed that the murder was an ‘unfortunate event’.
“That was an unfortunate incident that happened because Nisham was tired after a long journey,” the notices explains about Chandrabose murder.
Blaming the media for ‘sensationalising a small issue’, the notice said, “Many people are employed In his companies, and their families are in a difficult position. Above all, he was a person who helped everyone and was also a social worker in our place. His absence is painful.”
While the notice itself was abominable, what was more shocking was that over a hundred people actually turned up for the meeting.
The supporters of this ‘social worker’ decided to send an immediate petition to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking parole for Nisham. They claimed that Nisham has many diseases, and that he needs to be taken care of.
“We have doubts whether Chandrabose was the security there as it was not even proved in the court. There are a lot of traps behind this case,” Muhammadali, a friend of Nisham’s who chaired the meeting told media persons. He also said that they have done a signature campaign for the release of Nisham.
Another participant at the meeting, Ashraf told media persons that Nisham was not the kind of person that the ‘media portrayed him to be’.
“He helped a lot of people in our village. Many live here depending on him. We are fighting for a good human being. That murder was an accident, he had not planned to do it. The Nisham whom we know was not like this,” Ashraf said.
There is massive criticism against the locals for trying to protect a murderer.
“Such an incident was never heard in Kerala history. Nisham’s money power was very much visible throughout the case. He had used mobile phones from jail, he met his friends form a restaurant while on police custody and many other facilities he got. When he was in jail he called his brothers in phone and threatened them to kill. They had released the audio and had later given complaint also. And these people are now telling Nisham is a kind hearted soul. So it is clear that these people had assembled looking at the money of Nisham,” Antony Raju, Kerala Congress leader and social worker told The News Minute.