Online smear campaign against K K Shailaja, one held

Kozhikode: The police have arrested one person in connection with a case related to the online smear campaign against K K Shailaja, the LDF candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Vadakara.

Thottilpalam police held Mebin Thomas Perumpalliyil a resident of Chappanthottam for sharing offensive and obscene posts on his Instagram account/page about K K Shailaja. He was booked based on a complaint filed by DYFI leader Justin Sabu Makkal from Chathankottunada. The cops have pressed charges under IPC 153 and Kerala Police Act 120. He was later let off on bail.

Six cases have so far been registered against five persons in different police stations in Kozhikode and Kannur following complaints of circulating false and indecent posts targeting K K Shailaja. The police registered a case against an NRI Minhaj Kottente Meethal, a resident of Naduvannur in Kozhikode, on Thursday for allegedly morphing Shailaja's picture and forwarding it with vulgar wordings.

An activist of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was also booked for allegedly making objectionable remarks on social media platforms against Shailaja. T H Aslam, a member of ward number 3 (Peringdi) of the New Mahe grama panchayat and the Secretary of the IUML panchayat committee, was booked by New Mahe police on March 8 under the sections IPC 153 and Kerala Police Act 120.

Perambra police have also registered a case against Salman Valoor, from Perambra, under the sections IPC 153, KPA 120 (o) and Representation of Kerala Police Act 125 based on a complaint filed by Valsalan Panoli, Secretary, LDF, Vadakara Parliament Mandalam Committee. The complaint was that Salman shared edited videos and morphed pictures of K K Shailaja.