Nimisha Priya case: Brother of man she killed rejects Kerala cleric’s mediation claim

On Monday, Talal’s brother, Abdul Fatah Mehdi, wrote on Facebook, “We have strictly prohibited any meeting or discussion with the parents of Talal, either directly or through any medium, by the office of Kanthapuram or Habib Omar Ibn Hafeez. The religion of Islam is the religion of truth and not the religion of distortion and falsification. If the news were true, we would have announced it first.”

The reaction comes a day after Kanthapuram reportedly said at a function of his organisation that his efforts were driven solely by a sense of duty, not for any recognition.

Earlier, Kanthapuram had stated that representatives of Yemeni Sufi leader Sheikh Habib Umar Bin Hafiz had met Talal’s family, leading to the reprieve for Priya. Talal’s brother has now denied this claim.

Two days ago, Talal’s brother had stated that he had approached the prosecution authorities seeking to fix the execution date as “there is no substitute for retribution”.

Earlier, India’s External Affairs Ministry had declined to comment on the reported role of Kanthapuram. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters last month that “as far as the role of the entity you mentioned is concerned, I have no information to share”.