Kerala: PFI chief Yahya Thangal arrested in provocative slogan case

By PTI

ALAPPUZHA: A frontrunner of Popular Front of India (PFI) was arrested on Sunday morning in reference to the alleged provocative sloganeering by a minor boy throughout a latest march organised by the outfit on this district.

A senior police officer of the district confirmed the arrest of Yahya Thangal within the case.

Thangal was taken into custody as he was one of many organisers of the occasion the place the slogans have been allegedly raised.

Thangal, on Saturday, had additionally made derogatory remarks towards judges of the Kerala High Court.

On this difficulty, police haven’t but taken any motion because the excessive courtroom has to take cognisance of the identical, the official stated.

He stated the police by itself can’t provoke motion within the matter.

The police had already arrested the minor boy’s father on Saturday.

A purported video, wherein the kid may very well be seen sitting on the shoulder of an individual and elevating offensive slogans through the “Save the Republic” rally held by the PFI on May 21, had gone viral on social media platforms.

Subsequently, a grievance was lodged with the police prompting it to register a case.

The father of the boy, earlier than being taken into custody had advised reporters that the controversial slogan was not taught by anybody however the boy had learnt it whereas attending related programmes earlier than.

He had additionally stated it was not for the primary time that his son was elevating such a slogan in a programme and lots of such situations of him elevating related slogans may very well be seen on YouTube.

So far, greater than 20 individuals have been arrested and remanded within the case and extra individuals have been being taken into custody for questioning from numerous locations, the boy’s father had stated.

According to police sources, the boy could be despatched for counselling at a authorities centre quickly.

Erattupetta resident Anas, who carried the minor boy on his shoulders, was the primary individual to be arrested within the case.

In the FIR filed primarily based on a grievance by Vijayakumar P Okay, police invoked numerous sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Kerala Police Act and arraigned PFI Alappuzha district secretary Mujeeb and Navas as accused together with different identifiable individuals.

Sections 153A (selling enmity between totally different teams on grounds of faith), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, supposed to outrage spiritual emotions of any class), 505(1)(b) (act towards the general public tranquility), 505(1)(c), 505(2) and 506 (legal intimidation) of the IPC and Section 120(o) of KP Act are included within the FIR.