Kerala: Hindutva leader RV Babu booked for Islamophobic post

He claimed that the involved in drug trafficking and the narcotics trade and were helping terrorists.Muslim community were

Kochi: Hindu Aikya Vedi president RV Babu has been booked for allegedly making defamatory and communally provocative remarks in a social media post against the Muslim community by linking them to drug trafficking and terrorism.

Hindu Aikya Vedi (Hindu United Forum) is a Hindutva organisation active in Kerala, associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The case was registered by the Thrikkakara police on Thursday, July 2, based on a complaint filed by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Ashraf Vazhakkala.

According to police, Babu posted on social media in the wake of the Kerala government’s anti-narcotics drive, Operation Toofan.

In the post, he allegedly claimed that members of the Muslim community were involved in drug trafficking and the narcotics trade and were helping terrorist elements grow in the state.

“It is a good thing that the Home Minister has sought the support of Samastha leader Jifri Muthukoya Thangal for promoting Operation Toofan, the anti-drug campaign being implemented by the Home Department to make Kerala drug-free. More than leaders of other communities, it is the leaders of Samastha and their associates who should take the lead in this matter,” his post read.

“This is because the majority of those involved in the widespread sale of narcotic drugs in the state and in smuggling them into Kerala belong to their own community, which is a matter of shame for that community itself. Whether it is drug trafficking or terrorism, nothing happens here without the knowledge of ‘njammante aalkaar’ (meaning ‘our people,’ a derogatory slang term used to refer to Muslims).”

The first information report alleged that Babu made several statements targeting the Muslim community and Islamic scholars with the intention of defaming them and promoting communal division.

The case has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Kerala Police Act for promoting enmity between different groups, outraging religious feelings, disseminating false information and causing public nuisance.

Police said a notice would be issued to Babu directing him to appear for questioning as part of the investigation.