Malappuram: It was an emotional moment for Diveshlal from Valambur when he met Panakkad Sayyid Munavvar Ali Thangal, the state president of the Muslim Youth League, at the latter's home on Saturday.
Because he was meeting the man who was instrumental in securing his release from Qatar prison where he was jailed for allegedly causing the death of an Egyptian.
Diveshlal, with his family, came straight from Kozhikode airport to meet Thangal and express their gratitude.
As photos of the meeting at Thangal's ancestral home, Kodappanakkal House, spread on social media, many commented that it was the 'real Kerala Story'.
Diveshlal's ordeal began when his parked car accidentally moved forward and ran over an Egyptian. He was arrested and jailed for causing the death of a man. The authorities asked Rs 46 lakh as 'blood money' for his release.
(In Qatar, the law regarding blood money, also known as diya or compensation for death, is based on Islamic law, which is designed to provide financial support to the victim's family.)
His family managed to collect only Rs 10 lakh for his release.
Residents of Valambur formed a committee to help the family. They managed to raise Rs 26 lakh more with the help of different organisations and personal contributions.
They still needed Rs 10 lakh to secure Diveshlal's release. This is when they approached Thangal to help them collect the funds they needed.
"I requested Malayalis from Kerala and abroad to join hands to help release Diveshlal. A large number of people came together to support his release. It was a great gesture in humanity," Thangal said.
Diveshlal was close to tears describing his days behind the bar and his eventual release. "I don’t have any words to express my feeling. The process of fundraising was expedited after Thangal made the call. He and many others helped my family to collect the amount," Diveshlal said.
Diveshlal had planned to come home to celebrate the first birthday of his daughter on January 13. Unfortunately, he was jailed days before that. He met his daughter for the first time upon his arrival from Qatar on Saturday.
