Adakka Raju has been a trend since Tuesday on social networks.
“Today you will be with me in paradise,” Jesus Christ said to one of the thieves who was crucified with him, as it is written in the Bible. Comparing Adakka Raju, whose testimony was crucial in the 1992 murder of Sister Abhaya, with the good thief of the Bible, the prominent Malayalam poet Balachandran Chullikad wrote: “Jesus, the thief who died with you on the cross, is the only one who stood firm. firm, to witness your justice. ” The poet dedicated the four-line poem to Raju for giving a bold statement as a witness in the case of the murder of Mr Abhaya.
Raju had told the court that he saw Father Thomas M Kottoor (the convict) and José Poothrikkayil (who was previously discharged from the case) climbing the staircase at the back of the convent in the early morning of March 27, 1992, the day the crime was committed. He had broken into the convent premises to steal something at the time. His statement became significant when eight main witnesses, including Sister Abhaya’s roommates and other nuns at the St. Pius X convent in Kottayam, turned hostile.
For this reason, Raju has been celebrated as a hero by social media since the Abhaya verdict came out on Tuesday. In fact, #Adakkaraju has been trending on Facebook since Tuesday and hundreds are posting messages praising Raju. Some of the posts were inquiries, asking why the media were calling Raju ‘Adakka Raju’ while the defendants were still called Father Kottoor and Mr Sephy. Incidentally, the police named him Adakka Raju for his fondness of stealing areca nuts (adakka in Malayalam).
Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, Metropolitan of the Syriac Jacobite Orthodox Church of the Niranam Diocese of Malankara, wrote on his Facebook: “Raju is the face of humanity. He can be called kallan (thief) because he drinks kallu (toddy). But, in fact, he is a Saint. “
Some of the posts that effusively praise Raju say:
“Now he has stolen the hearts of us, the people.”
“He is the true saint.”
“The lord of three cents who scorned the golden urns of debauchery and deception. In the closing sanctuary where all the saints, involved in treason, maintained their conspiracy of falsehood, the only undeniable truth that the whole thief pronounced. … echoed like a pistol shot in the dark … echoes piercing the veil of darkness, “read another post.
“He is a hero as he still lives in a colony that struggles to survive and does not accept any bribes to change his statement. God lives in people like him. He could die a poor man, but with no regrets from the past,” he wrote. another social media user.
Raju’s words after the verdict were also shared by many on social media. “I still live in a colony with three cents of land. They had offered me millions of rupees. But I still did not accept money. I have two daughters. What if they leave suddenly? I saw that girl (Abhaya) as my daughter. There is no nobody in that family. Being in his father’s position, I say he received justice. I am happy, “Raju told the media on Tuesday.
Watch: Raju speaking to the media after the verdict
Another slogan that was trending was: ‘Adakka Raju is happy’. Memes and posters are also shared on social media platforms in praise of Raju.
Previously, Raju had alleged that the police had tortured him extensively to make him admit to the crime he did not commit. “I have made many mistakes, but not so big. I have suffered a lot,” Raju said in an old interview.
Watch: Old video byte of Adakka Raju
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