In connection to the hateful slogans raised by a kid at Popular Front of India’s “Save the Republic” rally in Kerala’s Alappuzha, the Police have arrested 20 people, including the child’s father. The father was arrested from his Palluruthy house on May 28. As per reports, after the video went viral, the family had fled home. The Police said they would take the father to Alappuzha for interrogation.
Father justified his son’s actions
While justifying the actions of his son, the father said no one raised any objections over similar videos on the part. Speaking to the media, the child said, “When I went for the NRC programme, I heard these slogans there and learnt it by heart.” As per Police officials, they would send the child for counselling at a government centre soon.
20 arrests made so far in the #PFI sloganeering case. More arrests are likely.
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His father said, “This was a slogan he learnt at the NRC, CAA protest. He has raised the slogans at another place also. I do not know why now it has become a controversy and a big discussion. The video of him raising slogans in the past is available on YouTube. I do not know what mistake he has made that everybody is harassing a child.” The father, a PFI worker, failed to understand if the slogans were ‘hateful’.
PFI functionary targeted judges
As the Police got into action against PFI members on directions of the Kerala High Court, the PFI officials have started targeting the judges. While addressing to organization’s members, PFI leader Yahiya Thangal targeted the judges and said, “Courts are getting shocked easily now. High Court judges are getting shocked after hearing the slogans at our Alappuzha march. Do you know the reason? The reason is that their innerwear is saffron. Since it’s saffron, they will get the heat very fast. You will feel the burn, and it will disturb you.”
FIR against PFI
An FIR was filed based on the complaint by Vijayakumar PK under sections Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 505(1)(b) (act against the public tranquillity), 505(1)(c), 505(2) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and Section 120(o) of KP Act against PFI Alappuzha district secretary Mujeeb and Navas along with others.
Anti-Hindu slogans at PFI rally
A video from the May 21 rally of PFI had gone viral on social media in which a child was seen raising slogans. PFI members were echoing the slogans. He said, “Be ready for your death rituals if you won’t live in our land quietly. Be ready with rice flakes to fill your mouth if you won’t live quietly (For Hindus ). Be ready to burn amber in your home if you won’t live quietly ( For Christians). Because we are coming, we are your death. We won’t go to Pakistan or Bangladesh, you have to live here as we say, or else we know how to make you live quietly, we will kill you even if we are attacked. We take pride in being a martyr, we salute them. If you don’t live quietly, we know how to ask for ‘Azadi’. Be prepared for your death.”
The Kerala High Court had directed the Police to take strict action in the matter. Justice PV Kunhikrishnan said that if a member of the rally raised the provocative slogans, the organizers of the rally were also responsible. He said, “The police officers will do the needful by the law against all the persons who are responsible for this.” The petition in this regard was filed by R Ramaraja Varma, who is a former professor of the SD College of Alappuzha.
Union Minister accused Kerala Govt of supporting PFI
On May 28, Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan lashed out at the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala and alleged that it supported PFI. Speaking over the case in Alappuzha, he said, “It is much delayed. But I appreciate they were taken into custody. Such things happen in Kerala repeatedly because of the covert support of the government in power. The government has taken a lenient view against terrorist activities and groups.”
He further said the government should take strict action against hatemongers, and such activities should be stopped at the beginning. “But that has not happened. That too in the district of Alappuzha, which had recently seen such disturbances and attacks with the support of the terrorist groups. That shows that the state government is hand in gloves with the terrorist groups who are active in the state,” said Muraleedharan.
