Memory As A Weapon: From Mourning To Movement In Chaliyar’s Fight For Justice
Malappuram, Kerala: As twilight settled over the KSRTC premises in Malappuram on Thursday, the gathering began not with slogans, but with silence. Then, almost in unison, the crowd raised placards bearing a single line: “Memory is a weapon.”
Writers, academics, students, and rights activists had assembled under the banner of the Chaliyar Girl Solidarity People’s Collective. Their demand was clear — a credible, high-level investigation into the death of a 17-year-old girl whose body was recovered from the banks of the Chaliyar River on February 19, 2024.
Two years have passed. The official version calls it suicide. The family insists it was murder. Between these positions stands a community unwilling to let the case close quietly.
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The Day That Changed a Riverbank
The timeline remains as stark as it is troubling.
On the morning of February 19, 2024, the teenager submitted a 14-page handwritten complaint accusing her karate instructor, Siddique Ali of Valiyattu Veettil in Vazhakad, of sexual abuse. According to family members, the complaint detailed months of coercion and intimidation. The accused, they note, was already facing multiple cases, including charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
By evening, she was preparing to record a formal statement with the police.
At approximately 6:30 pm, she went missing.
At around 7:45 pm, her body was found near Muttungal kadavu in Edavannappara — in shallow water close to the riverbank, not far from her home.
Writers, academics, students, and rights activists attend Chaliyar Girl Solidarity People’s Collective.
For the family, the location of the body and the marks visible on it raised immediate doubts. They argue that the depth of the water, the physical injuries, and the short interval between disappearance and recovery demand closer scrutiny.
The initial investigation was handled by Vazhakad Police before being transferred to the Kozhikode Crime Branch. Last week, the Crime Branch filed its chargesheet before the Malappuram First Class Judicial Magistrate Court, concluding that the girl died by suicide, allegedly driven by trauma linked to abuse.
The family categorically rejects this finding.
Protest Demands High-Level Probe
On Thursday, the solidarity collective organised a protest meeting in Malappuram demanding a high-level investigation into what they describe as a deeply suspicious death that occurred under mysterious circumstances two years ago at Muttungal kadavu, Vazhakad.
In a striking visual act of remembrance and resistance, the girl’s classmates tied their hands and performed a karate demonstration — symbolically expressing solidarity with their friend, whom they believe was “bound and silenced.” The gesture transformed grief into embodied protest.
Speakers at the gathering asserted that despite multiple circumstances pointing toward homicide, investigating officers appear determined to categorise the death as suicide.
Writers, academics, students, and rights activists attend Chaliyar Girl Solidarity People’s Collective.
“The conclusion seems predetermined,” participants stated. “We cannot accept an attempt to close the case by fitting it into a suicide narrative when serious doubts remain.”
The protest was chaired by Dr. P. Geetha. Among those who addressed the gathering were cultural critic M.N. Karassery, Prof. Kusumam Joseph, Rohini Muthur, Sulfath, V.A. Faisy, Baiju Merikkunnu, Ambika Maruvak, Gargi, Aleena, Sundar Raj, Hamida, V.T.S. Umar Thangal, Usman Irumbuzhi, Sreeja, and the victim’s classmate Muhammad Ali Nijad.
Speakers emphasised that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done. Public trust, they argued, depends on transparency and independence.
The Collective reiterated its support for the family’s call for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), asserting that only an independent central agency could dispel lingering suspicion.
Two Years After a Teen’s Death, Chaliyar Refuses Silence.
According to the Crime Branch chargesheet, investigators found no evidence of external physical force directly causing death. The report attributes the incident to psychological distress stemming from alleged sexual exploitation.
Investigators cite forensic reports, witness accounts, and circumstantial evidence as forming the basis of their conclusion. Officials maintain that due process was followed and that the findings reflect the available evidence.
From the state’s standpoint, the legal path is clear: the chargesheet has been filed, and the matter now rests before the court.
Yet for the family, the matter remains unresolved.
They question why certain injuries were not elaborately explained in the report. They point to the body’s proximity to the shore and argue that the physical setting does not align with a straightforward suicide narrative. They also allege that some leads were not pursued with sufficient rigour.
Writers, academics, students, and rights activists attend Chaliyar Girl Solidarity People’s Collective.
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Their counsel has indicated that they will challenge the findings, seeking either reinvestigation or a transfer of the case to a central agency.
The Accused and Parallel Proceedings
Siddique Ali, the karate instructor named in the complaint, faces multiple legal proceedings. A POCSO case against him is currently at a preliminary stage before the Fast Track POCSO Special Court in Manjeri.
Following the complaint, he was arrested and remanded. Bail petitions were rejected by the Kerala High Court and later by the Supreme Court of India. District authorities invoked the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA), leading to his detention at Viyyur High Security Prison. In at least two cases, bail has not been granted.
His legal representatives have maintained his innocence, arguing that public emotion has overshadowed objective assessment.
The legal processes — one concerning alleged abuse, the other examining the cause of death — now move along parallel tracks.
The Legal Threshold for a CBI Probe
Legal observers note that courts do not transfer cases lightly. A CBI investigation is typically ordered when there is credible evidence of bias, suppression of facts, or grave procedural lapses.
Advocate Shafeer K., who is not associated with the case but has followed it closely, explained that dissatisfaction alone does not justify transfer. Petitioners must demonstrate substantive deficiencies in the existing probe.
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The family’s legal team argues that unexplained injuries, combined with what they describe as a premature suicide conclusion, warrant judicial intervention.
Ultimately, it will be for the judiciary to decide whether the threshold for reinvestigation has been met.
Memory as Political Language
The phrase “Memory is a weapon” carries resonance in Kerala’s civic discourse. It reflects a belief that remembrance can challenge official narratives and prevent erasure.
For the parents, however, the phrase is less ideological and more intimate. They remember their daughter’s final hours — the pages she wrote, the courage it took to file a complaint, and the expectation that the law would stand by her.
“She believed that truth would protect her,” a relative said quietly. “We cannot accept that it ended this way.”
Chaliyar Girl Solidarity People’s Collective
What Lies Ahead
The Malappuram magistrate court will now examine the Crime Branch chargesheet. The POCSO trial in Manjeri continues independently. Meanwhile, the family prepares to approach higher courts seeking reinvestigation.
Kerala has seen moments when public mobilisation intersects with legal procedure. Each instance tests the equilibrium between due process and collective conscience.
Along the banks of the Chaliyar at Muttungal kadavu, daily life continues — fishermen cast nets, children play at the water’s edge, ferries cross at dusk. Yet beneath the surface flows a current of unresolved doubt.
Two years on, one question persists:
Was it an act of despair — or something more sinister?
Until that question is answered beyond ambiguity, the protestors insist, memory will remain their instrument — and the river will continue to echo their demand.
