Kerala sloganeering: Alappuzha magistrate denies bail to District PFI chief Navas & Najeeb

In a key development in the Kerala Popular Front of India (PFI) sloganeering case, the Alappuzha judicial first class magistrate on Friday has denied bail to the main accused Navas Vandanam and Ansar Najeeb. Navas is the president of the PFI Alappuzha district and Najeeb was the one carrying the child who raised the slogans on his shoulders. Following the incident, the Kerala High Court directed the state police to take appropriate action against those who raised provocative slogans at the PFI rally. 

Sloganeering at PFI event

The controversy erupted after a small child was heard saying in the PFI rally, "(Hindus) should buy rice and flowers for their rites. Oh! I forgot one thing. (Christians) should also buy incense for their last rites. Here comes...here comes...your butchers. If you want to live here, live decently. Otherwise, we know how to implement Azadi. If you want to live here, live decently". After a person named Vijayakumar PK complained about these provocative slogans, the Kerala Police registered an FIR against PFI Alappuzha district chief Navas, district secretary Mujeeb and others. 

They were booked under Sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 505(1)(b) (Act against the public tranquillity), 505(1)(c), 505(2) and 506 (Criminal intimidation) of the IPC and 120(O) of Kerala Police Act. Erattupetta resident Anas was the first person to be arrested in this case on May 24. However, the PFI stressed that such slogans were against the policy of the outfit and promised to look into the matter. 

PFI State secretary C A Raoof clarified, "We have given approved slogans which were to be raised in the public rally at Alappuzha. Thousands of party workers and others joined the rally protesting against the RSS. The visual of a boy raising slogans came to our notice now. Those slogans were not approved or given by the organizers of the rally. It's not the policy of the organization to provoke or raise provocative slogans". Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court directed the police to take action against all culprits. 

The Kerala Police later arrested the father of the child whose video chanting provocative slogans at PFI's 'Save the Republic' rally in Alappuzha on May 21 went viral. Confirming this in an exclusive interview with Republic TV on Saturday, Mattanchery ACP VG Raveendranath also mentioned that the aforesaid child is currently at home with his mother and hasn't been taken into custody. Asserting that the father is a PFI member, he added that the child will be taken for counselling soon. So far, at least 20 persons have been arrested in connection with this case. 

(Image: Shutterstock/RepublicWorld)