Tripti Nath/ New Delhi

Machilakath Abdul Rahim, a middle-aged Indian driver on the verge of being executed in Saudi Arabia, has been snatched from the jaws of death by Keralites across the world who raised blood money of Rs 34 crore for his release.

According to a news report in a prominent English language news daily, Hindu, Muslim and Christian Keralites showed exemplary solidarity in their determination to save Rahim and raised this blood money (diyah), an astronomical amount only four days before court ordered execution of Rahim, was to be set in motion.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to Facebook and said, “Keralites across the world have united to mobilise Rs 34 crore for the release of Abdul Rahim, who is facing death sentence in Saudi Arabia. To save a life, to wipe the tears of a family, Kerala has created a noble example of love. It is a declaration that Kerala is a fortress of brotherhood, which communalism cannot destroy.” 

The Kerala CM, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, and several other politicians called this the ‘Real Kerala Story,’ taking a jibe at Sudipto Sen’s film, which projected that Malayali Hindu and Christian women are being ‘trapped by terror outfits through love jihad’. 

Rahim who hails from Kodampuzha here had been an autorickshaw driver. In 2006, when Rahim was 26 years old, he went to Saudi Arabia to work as a driver in the house of a Saudi national, Abdulla Abdurahman Al Shahri. His main task was to look after Al Shahri’s 15 year old differently abled son, Anas Al Shahri. A month after arriving in Saudi Arabia, an accident occurred that landed Rahim in serious trouble. During a trip, Anas got agitated. In his effort to pacify the child, Rahim’s hand accidentally hit the life support tube attached to the boy’s throat and he lost consciousness. Anas died later and things got really bad for Rahim. A court in Riyadh found him guilty of murder and awarded him a death sentence which was upheld by higher courts as well. What followed was a miserable existence for 18 years.

Despite interventions by various organizations, the Saudi family did not want to grand pardon to Rahim. Over the years, they agreed to do so on payment of 15 million Saudi riyals (Rs 34 crore) by April 16. This was the deadline that was fixed by mediators for paying the money and saving Rahim from execution.

In the last week of March, residents of Rahim’s locality in Kozhikode formed an action committee with the aim of raising the required money, and launched an app – Save Abdul Rahim – to facilitate crowdfunding in a transparent manner.

How the committee went about raising funds for Rahim, is a story in itself. The committee sought help from a Malappuram based IT services company to create an app for donors to track the collection. Five WhatsApp groups with 1,000 members was created to spread awareness about the fund collection drive, on social media.

Committee convenor K.K. Alikuttu said that a majority of contributors were common people. “ People joined hands regardless of their backgrounds. From auto rickshaw drivers to Kudumbashree workers- everbody did their bit. This is the real Kerala story,’’ he said.

A legal assistance committee was set up to secure Rahim’s release. K.Suresh Kumar, Chairman of the committee said, “ Rahim’s mother was in tears for 18 years and her plight moved us to try to do something for him. Today, the happiness on her face is our biggest reward.’’

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Rahim’s mother Fathima is extremely grateful to all those persons who mobilized raising money and contributed to his release. She cannot wait to see him back home after 18 years. “ Raising such a huge amount was unthinkable but I was hopeful that my prayers would be answered. Now, my son will finally be able to come back home. The unity of people has helped save my son. Even when he calls, I am not able to speak. ‘’

Then, the plea to save Rahim went viral on social media, and several celebrities, politicians, and NRI groups joined the drive. Businessman Bobby Chemmanur, chairman of the Bobby Group of Companies, even launched a yatra from Thiruvananthapuram in south Kerala to Kasaragod in the north, raising Rs one crore. Putting this and all other donations from around the world together, the action committee raised the required Rs 34 crore by Friday. The fundraising which stood at Rs two crore only 20 days back, saw a sudden spurt over the last few days with the daily collection touching over Rs 5-6 crores. On Friday, around 3 p.m., the committee halted the fund collection as the total collection, including contributions in cash touched Rs 34.4 crore. The plea to help Rahim was mentioned during the Friday prayers in mosques. The committee office-bearers said that they would presented the audited details soon.