Siddique Kappan among 11 booked for unlawful assembly during Kerala protest

Others named in the FIR are advocate Pramod Puzhankara, C P Rasheed, Sajid Khalid, Dr Hari, Bhaburaj Bhagavathi, Ambika and Mridula Bhavani

Police said around 30 people had gathered for the event, raising slogans in favour of Rejas, who is also facing UAPA case. They had not obtained any sanction for using the public address system and caused obstruction for the general public. When police asked them to get dispersed, the alleged accused had a melee with the police, who later forcefully removed the agitators from the scene. Two of them were taken into custody and their arrest was recorded, while others fled from the scene.

Earlier in the day, BJP leaders in Ernakulam had complained to the city police that Kappan had violated the bail conditions and the gathering should be prevented. Former DGP and BJP fellow traveller T P Senkumar, in a facebook post, the political party which is supposed to protest against this meeting, is not doing it. “The reason is that a person, who is very close to Kappan, is at the headquarters of that party. Hence, from where we will get safety from such extremists,’’ he said.

Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek, a student activist and independent journalist from Kerala, had been arrested from Nagpur and booked under the UAPA in May this year after he had posted against Operation Sindoor and Operation Kagaar (anti-Maoist operation) on social media platforms and raised anti-India slogans.

Kappan was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police in October 2020 when he was on his way to cover the Hathras rape case and was booked under provisions of the UAPA by the Uttar Pradesh government.

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