Union MoS Chandrasekhar booked for alleged controversial remarks

Kochi: A case has been registered against Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements that promote enmity between different groups, police said on Tuesday.

The Kerala police registered the FIR on its own in connection with the minister’s recent statements on social media regarding the Kochi blasts and a Hamas leader’s virtual address at an event organised by an Islamist group in Malappuram district of the state recently.

A senior officer of Kochi city police said that an FIR under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) of the IPC and section 120 (o) (causing nuisance and violation of public order) of the Kerala Police Act has been registered against the minister.

The Union Minister also held the Congress and the Left parties in Kerala responsible for the serial blasts in Kerala’s Ernakulam.

The Union minister’s remarks came a day after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal had participated virtually in a pro-Palestine protest programme in the state.

Kerala BJP chief K Surendran urged both Kerala police and central agencies to investigate the incident further.

Besides, top CPI(M) leaders in Kerala, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people and called for a ceasefire on Sunday.

Participating in the dharna, Vijayan said that by not condemning the “massacre of Palestinian people”, India is being “complicit” in this.

Meanwhile, Kerala Congress chief K Sudhakaran also lashed out at the Kerala government and Pinarayi Vijayan and said that the Kerala blasts were a result of a “lack of vigilance”.

“The Kalamassery blast is shocking and there has been a serious failure on the side of the home department and intelligence. In a state like Kerala, making a bomb and planting it requires a clear plan. There was a serious lapse on the side of intelligence in detecting this,” Sudhakaran said.

Kanam Rajendran, the CPI State Secretary in Kerala, also condemned the blasts and said, “When the entire state is fighting for world peace by declaring solidarity with Palestine, it is condemnable that such an incident happened in Kerala.”

Kerala’s Director General of Police Shaik Darvesh Saheb confirmed that the blasts at the convention centre in the Kaamassery area were caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).

A man named Dominic Martin claimed responsibility for the blasts. He surrendered to the police in the Thrissur district and claimed to have planted the bomb at the explosion site. However, police are yet to confirm his involvement in the case.

Authorities in Kerala are on alert, especially around railway stations and bus stations. Besides, border states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have also heightened security checks