Vadakara campaign row: HC notice to police after accused cites threat to life

The controversy over “communally overloaded” campaign in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls in the second phase on April 26, has taken a new turn after an accused in the case approached the Kerala High Court claiming that he is facing threats to his life. He sought a fair investigation into the matter.

The HC on Friday issued a notice to the police, acting upon the petition moved by Mohammed Khasim of Youth League, the youth wing of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), an ally of the UDF in Kerala. A WhatsApp screenshot with communal overtones, which was widely circulated on April 24, two days before the polling in the state, was attributed to Khasim. It referred to CPI(M) candidate K K Shailaja as a “kafir woman” and her rival Congress candidate Shafi Parambil as someone “who offers prayers five times a day”.

The CPI(M) made the screenshot a major campaign issue on the eve of elections against the Congress-led UDF and even moved the Election Commission alleging that the UDF was engaged in a communal campaign.

Khasim, in his petition, pointed out that he came across a Facebook post which had a screenshot of a fake WhatsApp post in his name in a bogusly created Youth League group. “The post was suspiciously deleted, but in a short time the screenshot was widely circulated branding him (Khasim) as communal,’’ he said.

Later, Khasim submitted his mobile phone with the police with a request to register an FIR. The police are yet to register an FIR on his complaint, but an FIR has been registered against him under Section 153 A of the IPC.