MALAPPURAM: The martyrdom of Variyankunnathu Kunjahammed Haji has again become a topic of debate in the state after the Union Ministry of Culture removed Volume 5 of ‘Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle’, in which the name of Haji, who led 1921 Malabar struggle, was included, from its official website on Saturday.
The fact that the volume was removed after protests from right-wing workers including members of Hindu Aikya Vedi, has sparked a controversy. While family members of Kunjahammed Haji and a section of historians cried foul and alleged it as a move to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda, officials with the Indian Council of Historical Research, which compiled the book, said the action was taken to rectify the mistakes in the dictionary.
The fifth volume including the names of many martyrs from Malabar area including Haji and Ali Musliyar was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last March at a function held in New Delhi. C P Abdul Wahab, a fifth-generation member of Haji’s family, said it was a deliberate attempt of the Sangh Parivar-influenced system to remove the name of Haji from the history of freedom struggle of India. “
A month back, director Aashiq Abu faced cyber attacks for announcing his new film project ‘Vaariyamkunnan’ to portray Haji as a great fighter against the British as marked in various historical documents. At that time, the BJP and other extreme right-wing organisations argued that Haji was not a part of India’s freedom struggle. But a month after the protests, they found that their own government had earlier recognised Haji as a martyr of the freedom struggle. This fact embarrassed them, so they influenced the ministry to rewrite the fifth volume of the book. As part of it, the cultural ministry removed the volume from its website and the move is condemnable,” Wahab said.
He also said people in India will remember Haji as a warrior who fought against the British even if Sangh Parivar does not recognise him as such. Sivadasan P, Professor, Department of History, Calicut University, who has done research in Malabar struggle said the dictionary comprises the names of martyrs in the Indian freedom struggle, hence Haji should get a place in it.
C I Issac, member of the Indian Council of Historical Research, said the volume was removed to rectify the mistakes in it. “More than 400 people listed in the volume including Variyankunnathu Kunjahammed Haji shouldn’t be considered as martyrs of the freedoms struggle. It was a mistake done by the people who had compiled the volume. Those mistakes will be corrected and the volume republished soon. The people who had worked on the volume will be answerable to the Central government,” Issac said. He said a controversy was created over the book to divert the attention of people from the controversies surrounding the state government.
BJP spokesman Sandeep G Varier also supported the move to remove the name of Haji from the dictionary. “Haji led a violent movement to massacre Hindus. His name should not be placed along with the martyrs of freedom struggle,” Varier added.
Sparking row
The fact that the volume was removed after protests from right-wing workers has sparked a controversy