Thodupuzha: T J Joseph, the former Malayalam professor of Newman College, whose hand was chopped off by Islamic fundamentalists said the verdict by the NIA court that convicted six persons was not an instance of personal justice for him.
He said the attackers were themselves the victims of a centuries-old tribal belief system and that the real perpetrators who ordered them to chop off his hand have not been brought before the law.
"I was not anxious about the verdict or whether they have been convicted or not in this case. My curiosity was similar to any Indian citizen who was interested to know the conclusion of this case," he told reporters after the verdict.
"Victims never get any personal justice from the verdict in any case. There is no personal gain for me from this verdict. The verdict is the assertion of the country's law. It may act as a deterrent for others from committing such crime," he said.
I believe that the accused, who have now been convicted in this case, are themselves victims of ideologies that made them attack a stranger like me.
Professor TJ Joseph
"I believe that the accused, who have now been convicted in this case, are themselves victims like me. They attacked a stranger like me because they believe in a tribal ideology that existed centuries ago."
"In reality, those who are convicted are the weapon wielders of an ideology that prompted them to attack me. But the real persons who planned the attack and twisted the words in my question papers to initiate the attack, are out in the world, beyond the law's reach," he said.
"I am not bothered whether one of the accused is still not arrested. That shows our system's inefficiency. But that does not affect me personally," he said.
"It is high time that we, as the inhabitants of this world, develop scientific temper, imbibe the concept of humanity and universal brotherhood, and become modern citizens," he said.
"I wish that my suffering and the struggle of those who attacked me will spur the coming generations to break away from the chains of such century-old ideologies and become global citizens who believe in equality and scientific temper," he added.