B. Pocker


B. Pocker Sahib Bahadur was an Indian politician and community leader from Malabar District, Madras Presidency.
He was the second advocate from the Mappila community.

Career

Early career

B. Pocker was born in 1890 at Tellicherry in Malabar District. He studied at Tellicherry Brennen College and the Madras Christian College. He graduated from Madras Law College in 1915 and started practising as an advocate in Madras High Court in 1917. He was only the fifth university graduate and second advocate from the Mappila Muslims of Malabar District.

Montagu-Chelmsford reforms

Pocker entered politics in the late 1910s by arguing for special Muslim constituencies in Malabar District. He famously submitted a memorandum during the introduction of the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms.

Mappila Uprising

Pocker was a regional frontman of the Caliphate Movement. He led the relief activities for Mappilas, who were affected by the Mappila Uprising. He formed the "Mappila Amelioration Committee" at Madras, which collected and distributed more than two hundred thousand rupees among the Mappilas.
Pocker founded the "South India Muslim Education Society" and "Kerala Muslim Education Association", which are a foundation of educational reforms of the Muslims of Malabar District. Pocker served as the Parliament Party Secretary of the United Nationalist Party in the Madras Assembly from 1930 to 1936.

In the Muslim League

B. Pocker was one of earliest leaders of the Muslim League in Kerala. He contested from the Kurumbranad-Kozhikkode Constituency. Though he lost the election to the candidate supported by Bafaki Tangal, the election campaign led by K. M. Seethi Sahib strengthened the Muslim League in Malabar. Eventually, Bafaki Tangal also joined, which spread the acceptance of Muslim League among Mappilas.

In the Constituent Assembly

Following the partition of India, the Muslim League was disbanded. It was succeeded by the Indian Union Muslim League in the Dominion of India.
Pocker was elected from the Madras Assembly to the Constituent Assembly of India in 1946. Even after partition, Pocker and his south Indian League colleagues remained with the League. Within a month, the Assembly voted to abolish separate electorates for Muslim. Pocker and K. T. M. Ahmed Ibrahim moved an amendment to retain the separate electorates. This motion was defeated in the Constituent Assembly.

In Lower House (Lok Sabha)

Pocker was elected from Malappuram Constituency to the Lower House in 1952 with Madras Muslim League. He was elected to the Lower House in 1957 from Manjeri Constituency as an independent candidate.
His efforts helped to win Indian Muslims exemptions from the Special Marriage Act, 1954. He served as a National Executive Member of the Indian Union Muslim League and Vice President of Kerala State Committee.
He died on 29 July 1965.