A judicial commission that investigated the incident concluded leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) were directly involved in both the conspiracy and the massacre.

Three Hindus and two Muslims were killed in Kerala when scuffles that began as a trivial altercation over drinking water at a public tap became violent.

[3] On 3 and 4 January 2002, at Marad Beach, Kozhikode, Kerala, scuffles between two groups that began as a trivial altercation over drinking water at a public tap descended into violence.

Local Muslim women surrounded the mosque, creating a human chain or barricade which initially obstructed police from entering the premises.

[3] Initial investigation report of the Crime Branch Inspector General of Police Mahesh Kumar Singhla indicated the NDF was responsible for the killings.

The police, judiciary, and legislature prolonged the case and were unable to bring the perpetrators of the 2002 and 2003 Marad killings to justice until 2008 despite continuous requests from the local community and the bereaved.[why?

[14][15] The killings provoked public anger against the apparently apathetic approach of the investigating agency and the growth of religious fundamentalism in Kerala.

There were persistent demands for a judicial enquiry into the incidents; to effect this, the then-UDF government appointed District and Sessions Judge Thomas P. Joseph to the Commission of Inquiry.

A person named Hilal Mohammed, who was handling the smuggling of counterfeit goods at Calicut Airport,[clarification needed] filed a petition demanding a probe into his[who?]

BJP and Hindu Aikya Vedi and CPI(M)'s State secretariat member Elamaram Kareem also called for a probe by the Central agency.

[23] Kerala BJP president V. Muraleedharan wanted to initiate a case against senior Muslim League leader MC Mayin Haji, who had prior knowledge of massacre plan, according to the Judicial Commission.