In the wake of the recent explosions at a Christian prayer gathering near Kalamassery in Kochi, Kerala Police have filed 54 cases against individuals for disseminating content on social media that could potentially incite communal tension. Kerala police shared this information in a statement issued on Saturday (4th November).
In a post from the X handle, Kerala police said, “Fake propaganda on social media: 54 cases registered .” The statement in the image attached to this post said, “After the Kalamassery blast, Fake propaganda through social media was busted. 54 cases were registered till November 1. Social media organisations have been instructed to find out the IP address to prevent propaganda from fake profiles. A special team in district-level cyber cells for cyber patrolling of social media is formed.”
The highest number of cases, totalling 26, were filed in the Malappuram district. 15 cases were recorded in Ernakulam, and five in Thiruvananthapuram. Two cases each were reported from Thrissur City and Kottayam, with one case each in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Palakkad, and Kozhikode Rural.
The police said, “Requests have been made to Facebook, Instagram, X, WhatsApp and other social media platforms to identify the IP addresses of such fake profiles. The cyber cell in the state is functioning round the clock to identify such handles.”
On 29th October, three persons including a woman were killed, and around 40 were injured in multiple blasts at a Jehovah’s Witnesses prayer meeting at a convention centre at Kalamassery, Ernakulam in Kochi district of Kerala. The injured were rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital.
Around 2,000 people attended the 3-day convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Zamra International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Kalamassery. Eyewitnesses were quoted by Manorama News saying at least three blasts took place inside the hall. The probe was handed over to the NIA.
The investigating officers later discovered that the blast was planned to burn down the whole place. One Dominic Martin, accused of the bomb blast, was also arrested, and he has now been sent to judicial custody. Dominic Martin surrendered after claiming responsibility for carrying multiple blasts. He surrendered at the Kodakara police station in Thrissur.
