Assault on T. J. Joseph

The 2010 assault in Kerala occurred on 4 July 2010 at Muvattupuzha near Nirmala College in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. T. J. Joseph, a professor of Malayalam at Newman College, Thodupuzha, a Christian minority institution affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University had his hand cut off at the wrist as punishment on allegation of blasphemy, by people belonging to Popular Front of India, a confederation of radical, fanatic, Muslim fundamentalist and extremist organisations in South India.

Some reports indicate the attack resulted from a ruling from a "Taliban-model" court. The Minister of Home Affairs of Kerala, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, made a statement that while government is aware that there is a local Dar-ul Khada set up by the Popular Front of India under the supervision of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, functioning to resolve civil disputes, there were no complaints received that it was passing "Taliban-model" orders.

T. J. Joseph, a professor of Malayalam language at Newman College, Thodupuzha, set a question in the Malayalam semester examination paper for second-year BCom students in March 2010. In the examination, question 11 asked students to punctuate a dialogue between a character and God, given below:

മുഹമ്മദ്: പടച്ചോനേ പടച്ചോനേ
ദൈവം: എന്താടാ നായിന്റെ മോനേ
മുഹമ്മദ്: ഒരു അയില അതു മുറിച്ചാൽ എത്ര കഷണമാണ്
ദൈവം: മൂന്നു കഷണമാണെന്ന് എത്ര തവണ പറഞ്ഞിട്ടുണ്ടെടാ നായേ

Muhammad paţaccōnē paţaccōnē
daivaṃ ěntāţā nāyinṛě mōnē
Muhammad ǒru ayila atu muṛiccāˤ ětra kaṣaṇamāṇ
daivaṃ mūnnu kaṣaṇamāṇěnn ětra tavaṇa paṛaññiţţuṇţěţā nāyē