India: Kerala police book Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar for ‘promoting religious enmity’

Police in India's southern stat6e of Kerala, on Tuesday (Oct 31), launched a probe against Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements on social media that stirred religious enmity after a series of blasts at Jehovah’s Witnesses convention, on Sunday (Oct 29), claimed the lives of three and wounded nearly 50 others.

Chandrasekhar was booked for the offences under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) of the IPC and section 120 (o) (causing nuisance and violation of public order) of the Kerala Police Act.

As per news agency PTI reports, the FIR against the central minister filed on the complaint by a sub-inspector (SI) of the Cyber Cell of the Kochi city police, stated that Chandrasekhar posted statements and videos on his social media accounts with the intention of disruption.

Chandrasekhar hits out at Congress

Chandrasekhar took to his official X account and hit out at the Congress party saying that the FIR against him was registered for exposing the 'appeasement of Hamas' by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The central minister said, on social media platform X, that the case has been jointly filed against him by "the two INDI alliance partners".

He accused both of them of "shamelessly" appeasing "poisonous radical violent organizations like SDPI, PFI and Hamas". "So the two INDI alliance partners @RahulGandhi and @PinarayiVijayan have jointly filed a 'case' against me."

"Two of biggest appeasers in Indian politics who shamelessly appease poisonous radical violent organizations like SDPI, PFI and Hamas, whose politics have caused radicalization over decades from J&K to Punjab to Kerala and caused many innocent lives and security forces lives to be lost - trying to threaten me with a case for exposing their appeasement of Hamas," the minister said on X.

Earlier today, BJP Kerala chief K Surendran, reacting to the action against Chandrasekhar claimed that the move by the Pinarayi Vijayan government was "helping" and "encouraging" the ones with extremist views.

"It indicates the double standards of the Pinarayi Vijayan government," he said while speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

(With inputs from agencies)

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