Soon after Faisal’s death, his mother Meenakshi converted to Islam. (Representational image/AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Eight months after a Muslim convert in Malappuram district was hacked to death allegedly by RSS activists, his siblings and their families have also embraced Islam. Anil Kumar alias Faisal, 30, was killed on November19 last year near Tirur in Malappuram. Faisal, who converted to Islam in 2015, had reportedly faced a threat from the local Sangh Parivar. Those arrested in connection with the murder include Faisal’s brother-in-law Vinod, police said. Soon after Faisal’s death, his mother Meenakshi converted to Islam. Last week, two sisters and one brother-in-law also converted after performing the rituals at Maunathul Islam Sabha in Ponnani. Later they moved to another centre to study about the religion.
After Faisal’s death, the local Muslim community provided protection for his wife and three minor children, all of whom converted last August. The local Muslim community has also mobilised funds for the construction of a new house for Faisal’s family, the police said.
A local Muslim leader said one of Faisal’s sisters had divorced her husband after he was arrested in the murder case. Now the sister too has converted. Faisal’s uncle, his wife and two daughters had converted several years ago.
Twelve RSS/BJP workers, including Faisal’s brother-in-law Vinod, had been arrested in the murder case. The prime accused Madathil Narayan, 47, has been RSS karya vahak at Tirur in Malappuram. He had been an accused in the murder of another Muslim convert, Yasir, in 1998. It was in July last year that the Supreme Court acquitted him in the case.
