Samastha activists booked for anti-Modi slogan during Shariah rally

Kasargod, Nov 19: The Kasargod police's action of registering a case against Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema activists for "raising slogans against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi" during a Shariah protection rally in the Hosdurg police station limits on November 14 has become a controversy.

Police have registered a suo motu case against Basheer Vellikoth, Ismail Moulavi and over a hundred identifiable persons under Sections 143, 147, 145, 283, 153, 149 of the IPC. According to the FIR, the mob led by the accused made an unlawful assembly with the intention of creating trouble.

Police said that those in the backline of the rally had created trouble and unheeded the police direction to disperse. "They also shouted slogans against the Prime Minister and created traffic block," police said.

Vellikoth, the IUML Hosdurg mandalam president, said that the rally was peaceful. "It was organised to protest against the Centre's move to bring in common civil code in the country. I was leading the rally from the front," he said.

Vellikoth, who is also the president of the Samyuktha Jamaat Committee, a co-ordination committee of 72 mahal committees, said police in Kanhangad have been showing partiality for some time now.

"They had diverted traffic for the rally in connection with the conference of the All India Democratic Women's Conference, the feeder organisation of the CPM, a few weeks ago. But they registered a case against us for a peaceful rally," he said.