Immediately after a violent hartal staged by Islamist groups on April 16, triggered by a WhatsApp message that rocked Kerala, the CITU media in the state tried to create an impression it was the handiwork of the Sangh Parivar organisations. It suited the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF government which is bending over backwards to appease extremist Islamic outfits to outsmart the Indian Union Muslim League.
However, as more and more proofs came out following a probe, it has become evident that anti-national forces including Islamic State were behind the hartal. As a tight slap on the face of the agenda-driven media, a voice clip of a IS recruitment agent surfaced which called for jihad against kafirs on the lines of azadi agitation in Kashmir. In the hartal, Hindu business establishments were singled out and looted, set on fire, police were attacked and Hindu men and women were harassed and threatened.
Why the Malayalam channels went to town with the allegation that an RSS man was arrested for his role in the hartal. Although the channels, mainly Mathrubumi, made a meal out of this unconfirmed report, they couldn’t hide the truth for long. The Mathrubhumi daily, owned by the group, came out with a report the next day, saying that the arrested person had been expelled from RSS three months ago and he has been indulging in spreading anti-RSS propaganda.
Of late, Mathrubhumi has carried true reports of the real culprits behind the WhatsApp hartal in its issue of May 1, 2018. Most of the accused belong to mainstream political parties. This is a very dangerous trend. Islamists have infiltrated into top positions of the Congress and CPI(M) and other political parties. Here are the details of the arrests occurred in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode City and Kozhikode Rural police districts. Muslim League 190, SDPI 155, CPM 46, CPI 43, Congress 30, Janata Dal 7, National Secular Conference 4 and Welfare Party 10. Apart from them 40 others are also arrested from these districts and they do not belong to any party. In Kozhikode City Police district, Muslim League 29, SDPI 54, CPM 11, Welfare Party 5 and CPI 15. Under Kozhikode Rural Police district, Muslim League 39, SDPI & Popular Front together 23, CPM 12 and Congress 13. Total arrests work out to 87.
In Wayanad district, cases have been registered against 762 people. 149 are arrested. In Malappuram 400 arrested and 190 remanded. Malappuram Police informed that 2,000 people are to be interrogated. It is assumed that at least 500 of them would be ‘direct accused’.
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