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what happened earlier: Assault on T. J. Joseph - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TNN | Mar 20, 2014, 06.19AM IST
KOCHI: In what every right-thinking Malayali is going to consider a blot on his or her conscience, the long-suffering wife of the college professor whose hand was chopped off allegedly by Muslim religious extremists in 2010, killed herself at her house in Muvattupuzha on Wednesday.
Salomi Joseph (49) was found hanging in the bathroom around 3pm by her husband T J Joseph. No suicide note was found but police don't suspect any foul play. "For some time she had complained of migraine. On Wednesday, the couple had gone to a private hospital at Kolenchery and returned home around 2.15 pm. It is suspected that she committed suicide between 2.30 and 3 pm", Muvattupuzha police said. Salomi was eye witness to her husband's attack on July 4, 2010.
The couple had barely been able to make ends meet after Joseph, a Malayalam professor at Newman College in Thodupuzha, was terminated from service by the college management after Joseph was attacked in a manner reminiscent of the barbaric Middle Ages. The case had become a test case of Kerala's commitment to secular values and freedom of expression, which the government and college and university authorities apparently failed and has, it seems, played no small part in driving Joseph's wife to suicide.
Joseph was seeking reinstatement in the college before his retirement on March 31, a move that would have entitled the family to minimal retirement benefits and would have helped them meet expenses of their daughter's wedding and repay fast accumulating debts. But a Mahatma Gandhi University tribunal looking into the matter had not shown the urgency befitting the case, while the college's attitude too was unhelpful.
It was alleged that Joseph had framed exam questions that amounted to hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims. However, in November 13, 2013, the Thodupuzha chief judicial magistrate court had absolved Joseph of charges under section 295 of the IPC (causing communal disharmony). "The college authorities knew that they were fighting a losing battle as the CJM court had discharged Joseph from the criminal charge of causing communal disharmony. It is under this very charge that the college management terminated him from service. A case under section 306 of IPC (abetment to suicide) needs to be booked against the college management", Joseph's advocate K Ramkumar said.
Family members and neighbours said Salomi was depressed ever since her husband was attacked. "Joseph was to retire on March 31 and the family was hopeful that the college authorities would reconsider Joseph's termination. With the money they would get, they were planning to get their daughter, who is working in a hospital in Delhi, married. But that didn't happen and they were upset", said a former colleague of Joseph.
The family was going through extremely hard times and was surviving on Rs 2 ration rice. Sources said that Salomi had even expressed her willingness to work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGREGS), the government scheme for the rural poor. "She had discussed it with her husband and he had agreed. She was planning to enrol for the same", sources said.
Advocate Ramkumar said, "The college management was indulging in delaying tactics. Few weeks back, they agreed that he will be reinstated a day before retirement which would help him get all retirement benefits. However, recently they retracted from their promise and the family was really upset with this".
However, Newman College's principal T M Joseph said, "We had not made any such promise. The matter was pending before the University Appellate Tribunal and we were awaiting the verdict".
Assault on T. J. Joseph - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
it is very sad to see how catholic church indirectly destroyed a family. I agree, Kothamangalam diocese is afraid of threats from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind(PFI) terrorists and veiled threats to destroy their institution and target Christians of Kerala. but leity and people of that area(Muvattupuzha) should have supported them instead of isolating.
TNN | Mar 20, 2014, 06.19AM IST
KOCHI: In what every right-thinking Malayali is going to consider a blot on his or her conscience, the long-suffering wife of the college professor whose hand was chopped off allegedly by Muslim religious extremists in 2010, killed herself at her house in Muvattupuzha on Wednesday.
Salomi Joseph (49) was found hanging in the bathroom around 3pm by her husband T J Joseph. No suicide note was found but police don't suspect any foul play. "For some time she had complained of migraine. On Wednesday, the couple had gone to a private hospital at Kolenchery and returned home around 2.15 pm. It is suspected that she committed suicide between 2.30 and 3 pm", Muvattupuzha police said. Salomi was eye witness to her husband's attack on July 4, 2010.
The couple had barely been able to make ends meet after Joseph, a Malayalam professor at Newman College in Thodupuzha, was terminated from service by the college management after Joseph was attacked in a manner reminiscent of the barbaric Middle Ages. The case had become a test case of Kerala's commitment to secular values and freedom of expression, which the government and college and university authorities apparently failed and has, it seems, played no small part in driving Joseph's wife to suicide.
Joseph was seeking reinstatement in the college before his retirement on March 31, a move that would have entitled the family to minimal retirement benefits and would have helped them meet expenses of their daughter's wedding and repay fast accumulating debts. But a Mahatma Gandhi University tribunal looking into the matter had not shown the urgency befitting the case, while the college's attitude too was unhelpful.
It was alleged that Joseph had framed exam questions that amounted to hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims. However, in November 13, 2013, the Thodupuzha chief judicial magistrate court had absolved Joseph of charges under section 295 of the IPC (causing communal disharmony). "The college authorities knew that they were fighting a losing battle as the CJM court had discharged Joseph from the criminal charge of causing communal disharmony. It is under this very charge that the college management terminated him from service. A case under section 306 of IPC (abetment to suicide) needs to be booked against the college management", Joseph's advocate K Ramkumar said.
Family members and neighbours said Salomi was depressed ever since her husband was attacked. "Joseph was to retire on March 31 and the family was hopeful that the college authorities would reconsider Joseph's termination. With the money they would get, they were planning to get their daughter, who is working in a hospital in Delhi, married. But that didn't happen and they were upset", said a former colleague of Joseph.
The family was going through extremely hard times and was surviving on Rs 2 ration rice. Sources said that Salomi had even expressed her willingness to work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGREGS), the government scheme for the rural poor. "She had discussed it with her husband and he had agreed. She was planning to enrol for the same", sources said.
Advocate Ramkumar said, "The college management was indulging in delaying tactics. Few weeks back, they agreed that he will be reinstated a day before retirement which would help him get all retirement benefits. However, recently they retracted from their promise and the family was really upset with this".
However, Newman College's principal T M Joseph said, "We had not made any such promise. The matter was pending before the University Appellate Tribunal and we were awaiting the verdict".
Assault on T. J. Joseph - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
it is very sad to see how catholic church indirectly destroyed a family. I agree, Kothamangalam diocese is afraid of threats from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind(PFI) terrorists and veiled threats to destroy their institution and target Christians of Kerala. but leity and people of that area(Muvattupuzha) should have supported them instead of isolating.