Kerala blasts: Police book right-wing vlogger Lasitha Palakkal for allegedly spreading hatred via social media

Palakkal was already known for her alleged inflammatory posts and remarks on social media platforms.

Also read: Police get 10-day custody of accused; death toll rises to four

Complaint by PDP office bearer

A police officer said that the case was registered on Tuesday based on the complaint of a PDP office-bearer.

Cases under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Kerala Police Act were registered against the two, he said.

IPC 153A refers to promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony.

On 4 October, Kerala police said that 54 cases were registered against several people for spreading communally-instigative content through social media after the blasts.

The most number of cases — 26 cases — was registered in the Malappuram district, followed by 15 in Ernakulam, and five in Thiruvananthapuram.

Thrissur city and Kottayam reported two cases each, while Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Palakkad, and Kozhikode Rural have one case each.

Also read: A week after Kerala blasts, Jehovah’s Witnesses gather again for prayer meetings

Case against BJP leaders

The Kerala Police had registered two cases against Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements that could promote enmity between different groups through social media posts in connection with the blasts.

The Ernakulam Central Police registered a case against him over the same incident based on a complaint by KPCC digital media convenor P Sarin.

BJP national secretary and spokesperson Anil K Antony was also booked for his social media posts based on the complaint of the Congress leader.

“Both cases were registered on 31 October under IPC 153 and 153A and Section 120 (O) of the Kerala Police Act,” a police officer told PTI.

IPC Sections 153 and 153A refer to wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot and promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, and residence respectively.

Section 120 (O) of the KP Act refers to causing nuisance and violating public order.

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The blasts

The blasts were set off at a convention centre in Kalamassery near Kochi, where a prayer meeting of the Jehovah’s Witnesses — a Christian religious group that originated in the US in the 19th century — was held on 29 October.

A few hours after that, Dominic Martin, who claimed to be an estranged member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, surrendered before the police in Thrissur district, claiming that he carried out the multiple blasts.

Initially, one woman was killed in the blasts and 60 were injured — six of them critically. Subsequently, one of the six critically wounded — a 53-year-old woman — succumbed to her injuries.

On 30 October morning, a 12-year-old girl who had sustained 95 percent burns in the incident passed away.

The death toll reached four on Monday with a 61-year-old woman, who is a Kalamassery native, succumbed to her burns at around 5 am. On the same day, a Kochi court granted the police 10 days custody of the lone accused, Martin, in the case.

Following the shocking incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned it. He warned of stringent action against those who tried to create communal division in society through their statements and via social media platforms.

(With PTI inputs)