The Alappuzha South police on Monday registered a case against Popular Front of India (PFI) leader Yahya Thangal for lampooning judges of the Kerala High Court.
The police, who arrested the Thangal on Sunday in connection with a case related to the chanting of provocative slogans at a PFI rally held in Alappuzha on May 21, registered another case after he made derogatory remarks about the judiciary during a march organised by the PFI to the office of the Alappuzha District Police Chief last week in protest against the arrest of outfit's leaders in the sloganeering case.
A local court here on Monday remanded the Thangal in judicial custody in the sloganeering case. The Thangal, a PFI State committee member, was one of the organisers of the PFI rally where a boy chanted incendiary slogans apparently targeting other religions. Officials said that his arrest in the second case had been recorded.
Meanwhile, the police said the boy who raised provocative slogans had received training to do so. In the remand report submitted before the court, the police said the child was tutored by Shameer and Sudheer N.Y., both accused in the case. Boy’s father Askar Latheef, who was also arrested by the police, had helped him. The boy raised the slogans at the rally with the knowledge of his father, the report said.
Shameer is PFI Palluruthy (Ernakulam) division president. Sudheer is Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) Thripunithura mandalam secretary and PFI worker.
The police have so far arrested 26 PFI men after the video featuring the boy sitting on the shoulder of a man and raising provocative slogans went viral.
The arrested were booked under various Sections, including 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), of the Indian Penal Code along with Sections 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) and 83 (2) (use of child by militant groups or other adults) of the Juvenile Justice Act.
