Three FIRs have been registered in Kerala’s Malappuram district on Monday, over allegedly inflammatory posts which attempt to spark communal tensions over the Ayodhya verdict delivered by the Supreme Court.
According to the police, all 3 of the accused persons reside abroad. However, cases have been registered in various stations which possess jurisdiction in the area where their residences are located. FIRs under section 153 A of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc) have been registered in Manjeri, Perinthalamana and Pandikkad police stations.
“We have been directed by the Hi Tech cell in Thiruvananthapuram, which has been tracking inflammatory messages on social media following Ayodhya verdict. Based on the direction of the district superintendent, we filed a case here. The accused in the FIR registered here resides in Oman and we are investigating the case currently,” an officer from the Pandikkad police station told TNM.
Officers of the Manjeri and Perinthalmanna stations too confirmed that they had lodged FIRs under section 153 A following directions from the cyber cell in the state capital.
“Two messages which are said to have touch of communal content regarding the Ayodhya issues were directed to me. We are still investigating the case and finding out the details of the accused persons,” Manjeri Circle Inspector Alawi told TNM.
2 more cases in Kochi
Prior to this, the Kochi central police registered two more similar cases before the Ayodhya verdict.
They are accused of creating “enmity between Hindu and Muslim communities by creating a communal divide with their messages on social media prior to the Ayodhya verdict,” according to an officer at the police station.
An FIR has been registered under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc), 505 b (public mischief) 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 120 a (public nuisance and violating law and order) of the Kerala Police Act.
Kerala state DGP Loknath Behera has said that the police will be surveying all social media for communally sensitive or inflammatory messages following the verdict on the Ayodhya case which was delivered on Saturday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan too had requested the people of Kerala to accept the Supreme Court verdict peacefully, regardless of the outcome, in his announcement on Friday evening.