The Kerala Police have registered a case against a local Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader for allegedly engaging in a cyber attack against K K Shailaja, CPI-M’s Vatakara candidate.
T H Aslam, secretary of IUML New Mahe panchayat committee, was booked for sharing a fabricated video against the LDF candidate in a WhatsApp group. The police booked Aslam on Tuesday evening after receiving a complaint from New Mahe native Ravindran.
The FIR states that the accused shared an edited video, intentionally to spread hatred and riot over religious sentiments. Aslam posted the video in a WhatsApp group named ‘Mangad Snehatheeram.’
Police slapped charges under Section 153 IPC ( Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, and residence) and Section 120 of the Kerala Police Act (causing nuisance and violation of public order) against the accused.
Responding to the development, Opposition leader in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Wednesday said that when the bomb politics broke down, the CPI-M and its candidate in Vatakara dropped a “lie bomb.”
He accused KK Shailaja of exploding a lie bomb to play the victim card in front of voters in Vadakara. He said that Shailaja had donned the role of an injured party to save her flailing campaign.
Shailaja on Tuesday revealed that she was a victim of online harassment and humiliation allegedly unleashed by UDF sympathisers championing her rival, Shafi Parambil.
Shailaja alleged that UDF hacks had used morphed images spliced with salacious content to dehumanise her in front of her constituents and the world.