Kerala: Muslim Youth League ousts member who raised hateful slogans during rally; 300 booked

Related: Muslim League to fight Union government’s move on UCC

The event

During a rally organised by the Muslim Youth League in solidarity with the people of Manipur, the cadre raised a communally hateful slogan targeting the majority community with act of violence.

The letter ousting Abdul Salam from the party.

The rally was part of the party’s statewide protest on 25 July, asking the Union government to take action to restore peace in Manipur in the wake of the ongoing violent ethnic and religious clashes in the state.

“The hateful slogans raised during the rally organised at Kanhangad deviate from the principles of the League and it is different from the already printed slogans. The party considers raising the slogan as an unforgivable mistake and hereby remove Abdul Salam from Kanhangad municipality from the party,” said Firoz in the letter.

“What happened is absolutely unforgivable, and it should never have occurred. We cannot even bring us to label the act as mere foolishness. As soon as we found out about it, we took prompt action,” Muslim Youth League state Treasures P Ismayil told South First.

An officer of the Hosdurg police station said the cases were registered against 300 persons who participated in the Youth League march based on a complaint filed by the BJP Kanhangad mandalam president.

They have been booked under Section 153A of the IPC, which deals with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony

No arrests have been made so far, the officer said.

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‘Welcome legal action’

Meanwhile, the video of the event is viral on social media with people demanding action against the organisers and participants. The video was widely circulated by right-wing affiliated people and organisations and was later picked up by news outlets.

“The person who shouted the slogan was not a party functionary, he was just a member. Soon after the others in the rally heard the slogans, he was stooped,” Firoz told South First.

He added that even if a case was registered in this regard, the party would extend all the support in the investigation.

“The slogans he raised were not with the knowledge of the organisers. It totally deviated from the printed slogans that the party gave. So, any legal action regarding this is most welcome,” said Firoz.

Statement by Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal.

Youth League state president Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal said in a statement that creating hatred or enmity between different communities was not in the party’s principles.

“The party will not tolerate those who work against the principles of the party and those who work in a way that harms religious harmony. We deeply regret the offence that a person had committed in the party label,” Thangal said in the statement.

Slamming the Youth League and Muslim League, which is a key ally of the Congress-led UDF Opposition in Kerala, the BJP alleged that the provocative slogans were raised with the support of the CPI(M)-led LDF government and that the southern state “is now the new pit of rabid radicalisation”.

BJP’s National Information & Technology in-charge Amit Malviya alleged in a tweet that they wouldn’t have gone this far if the Pinarayi governmnet was not supporting them.

(With PTI inputs)