Kerala: Kasaragod madrasa teacher killed, prohibitory orders in place

Representational Image.

The murder of a madrasa teacher in Kasaragod early Tuesday triggered minor incidents of violence, prompting the authorities to clamp prohibitory orders on the district for a week. Riyas, a 30-year-old from Kodagu in Karnataka, was hacked to death in his retiring room attached to a mosque at Choori in Kasaragod town. Mosque khatib Abdul Azeez Musaliyar, who was sleeping in another room, was woken up by the commotion. He stepped out to find a group of people throwing stones at the building. He found Riyas lying in a pool of blood, his throat slit.

The Indian Union Muslim League called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kasaragod to protest against the murder. Several minor incidents of attacks on the police were reported in the town. To avert further flare-ups, the body was taken directly from Kannur, where the autopsy took place, to Karnataka.

Police sources said the prime concern was to prevent outbreak of violence. “We could not immediately find the provocation for the murder. The teacher was not involved in any criminal cases. We suspect it could be a bid to create trouble,’’ a source said. CM Pinarayi Vijayan ordered constitution of a special police team to probe the murder.