MALAPPURAM: The riposte to the communally charged rhetoric of former state police chief T.P. Senkumar by a senior IPS officer has gone viral on Facebook. K. Sethuraman who served as the district police chief in Malappuram for four years said in a note posted on FB on Monday that the increase of Muslim population would make the state a better place to live in. In an apparent reply to Senkumar’s concerns regarding the Muslim demography in Kerala, Mr Sethuraman wrote that if Muslim population increases, it will certainly reduce communalism and casteism.
The post has drawn wide attention on Facebook with more than 1,500 shares and nearly 3,000 likes in a day. Cutting across the religious affiliations, many have lauded the officer as a beacon of hope in troubled times. Citing his own experience as a cop in the state, Mr Sethuraman wrote, “The political culture of Muslims is a model for other minorities. There are more than five crore Muslims in UP. It is undemocratic that not a single MP represent them. Number of MLAs in Assembly is too few proportionate to their population. In Kerala, Muslims are part of state building, thanks to mainstream politics. It is encompassing and liberal.”
He was full of praises for the people of Malappuram as well. “As police officers, we have travelled throughout the state and know people from every corner of the state. Everywhere I have come across only Hindu, Muslim, Nair, Ezhava, Christian, Dalit, etc. But in Malappuram, one can find paccha Malayali. Anyone is ready to help another. The most populous district in south India has no history of communal riots. People are extremely law abiding, cordial and helpful,” he wrote. He also termed the high fertility of Muslims a myth.
