Muslim forbidden from writing on Ramayana

By NewsGram Staff Writer

Another instance of fanaticism or to say prohibition of free speech occurred in Kerala wherein a 75-year-old literary critic has been allegedly forced to stop writing his columns on Ramayana in a local daily because of his religious faith.

M M Basheer, former professor of Malayalam at the University of Calicut, stopped his column named 'Ramayanam Jeevithasaramritham' (Essence of Ramayana) in Malalayalam daily Mathrubhumi after he received threats and abuse calls from the right wing groups.

"The callers were taking exception to the poet's[Valmiki] criticism of Rama, which was given in quotes. Most of the callers would not hear out my explanation but just abuse me," he told Express. Last year, Basheer had written on Adhyatma Ramayana, where Rama was depicted as God.

Moreover, posters threatening Basheer were put up near the newspaper's head office in Kozhikode the day after the column started appearing on the daily on August 3.

It is learnt from the sources that Hanumansena is behind the act.