Nimisha Priya forum seeks action against evangelist Paul

The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a body that coordinates the efforts for the release of Nimisha Priya from a Yemen jail, has appealed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take action against evangelist K.A. Paul for allegedly collecting money for the release of the Keralite nurse.

The council has accused Mr. Paul of soliciting donations through a bank account purportedly started by the External Affairs Ministry, claiming that ₹8.3 crore was needed to free Nimisha Priya. The External Affairs Ministry has clarified that it is not conducting any official fundraising for Nimisha Priya’s release and warned against spreading false information in the government’s name.

In a memorandum to the Chief Minister and the State Police Chief, Subhash Chandran K.R., legal adviser to the action council, expressed concern that more than 54,000 subscribers had already viewed Mr. Paul’s alleged X post seeking funds for Nimisha Priya’s release.

Meanwhile, All India Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar clarified that he had done everything possible to secure a reprieve from execution for Nimisha Priya. “The ball is now in the Central government’s court,” he said, adding that the government should take the initiative to secure her release from prison and that his organisation would provide all possible help.

Initially set to be executed on July 16, Nimisha Priya’s sentence was postponed by Yemeni authorities on July 14, and subsequently commuted.

The action council has asked the Union government to utilise Mr. Aboobacker Musliyar’s connections with Yemeni scholars to initiate talks with Talal Abdo Mahdi’s family, whose murder Nimisha Priya has been convicted of.

Mr. Paul is one of the persons who claimed credit for securing reprieve for Nimisha Priya from execution. Mr. Paul has refuted allegations of fraud through a series of posts on X. He also challenged the government’s claim that the bank account in question was not government designated. Mr. Paul also demanded that the funds required for Nimisha Priya’s release be paid from the Prime Minister’s account.