Forty-seven cases have been registered as part of the crackdown on hate speech launched in Kerala since Sunday’s blasts at a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention, which left three people dead and over 50 injured.
Most of the cases relate to social media posts that allegedly pointed fingers at “radical” elements from the Muslim community. An estranged member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian denomination, has claimed responsibility for the blasts and was arrested.
Kerala police booked Union minister of state for skill development and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, in a second case on Thursday, this time based on a complaint from state Congress digital media cell convener P. Sarin. The FIR also names BJP national secretary Anil K. Antony, son of Congress veteran A.K. Antony.
The FIR accuses Chandrasekhar and Antony of linking the blasts to the Palestine strife and Hamas. The FIR says they tried to disturb communal harmony in Kerala with these remarks.
Chandrasekhar had on Tuesday been booked in a similar case based on a complaint from a cyber cell sub-inspector.
Harishankar, superintendent of police (cyber operations), told The Telegraph on Thursday that of the 200-odd social media posts identified soon after the blasts, more than 50 had been taken down since they had communal content.
“We are doing social media analysis and pulling out suspicious posts. The district police take the necessary action in terms of filing cases,” he said.
Cases have been booked against the pro-BJP Janam TV, the Reporter Live news channel and its anchor Sujaya Parvathy, and the online news media platform Marunadan Malayali, among others.
All the cases relate to remarks that allegedly threatened peace and communal harmony in the state following the blasts.
All the accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 153A (promoting enmity between people on the grounds of religion, race, etc); and Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act, 2011 (causing, through any means of communication, a nuisance of himself to any person by repeated or undesirable message). Conviction can bring up to three years in jail.
The first arrest in the hate cases came a day after the blasts, with the Trinamul Congress’s south India chapter convener, Riva Tholoor Philip, picked up on a complaint from the Social Democratic Party of India.
The crackdown is expected to continue, since many more complaints have been lodged with various police stations. But the Congress is unhappy that the exercise has left out CPM leaders and their sympathisers.
“I had mentioned the names of CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan, advocate and CPM-backed former Lok Sabha member Sebastian Paul, and BJP leader Sandeep Varier. But no action has been taken against them,” Sarin told this newspaper.
Sarin has accused Govindan of linking the blasts to the ongoing strife in Palestine, Paul of linking the Jehovah’s Witnesses to Jews in a channel discussion, and Varier of making a similar comment on social media.
Dominic Martin, an estranged member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, claimed responsibility hours after the blasts and surrendered before the police. He has been remanded in judicial custody till November 29.
Martin claimed in a Facebook Live video before surrounding that he had taken the step against the “anti-national” ideology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
