Case registered over cyber attacks on Left leaders; CPI(M), Congress trade charges

Kochi, Sep 19 (PTI) Police on Friday registered a case against two individuals over alleged cyberattacks targeting CPI(M) leader K J Shine and Vypin MLA K N Unnikrishnan.

A series of defamatory social media posts targeting the two CPI(M) leaders prompted them to allege the involvement of Congress workers, sparking heated exchanges between the Left party and their main political rival in the state.

Amid widespread condemnation from Left leaders and social media users over malicious posts targeting a woman leader, the Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police have booked two individuals, C K Gopalakrishnan and K M Shajahan, based on a complaint from Shine.

Gopalakrishnan is accused of posting "derogatory" remarks against Shine and Unnikrishnan on Facebook, while Shajahan allegedly made objectionable comments about them on his YouTube channel, Prathipaksham, officials said.

According to the FIR, the accused created and circulated images and messages containing sexual content between September 14 and 18 across platforms, including Facebook, Threads, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and other digital media.

They have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 78 (stalking), Section 79 (act, word, sound, gesture, or exhibition of an object intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and Section 3(5) (collective criminal act).

They also face provisions under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act (publishing or transmitting obscene material electronically) and Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act (causing nuisance through communication).

Earlier in the day, while responding to cyberattacks, Shine alleged that the social media attacks targeting her and Unnikrishnan had been carried out with the knowledge of the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan.

Speaking to reporters at her residence in North Paravoor, Shine alleged that the cyberattack originated from a person named CK Gopalakrishnan, who handles the Congress’s social media platform.

The CPI(M) leader accused Satheesan, also the MLA from North Paravoor, of being aware of the campaign.

"I am confident it would not have happened without his knowledge. Otherwise, he would have stopped it," she said.

Her husband Dinus alleged that the campaign reflected an erosion of moral standards.

"Such activities are led by the Congress leadership in North Paravoor. It shows that they would resort to any cheap tricks. Nothing has happened as alleged on social media," he said.

Shine also claimed that during a recent public event, a Congress councillor known to her had hinted that a "bomb" was coming against her. "Now I realise what that leader meant," she added.

Meanwhile, Unnikrishnan said that he would fight the allegations legally and politically.

He said the fake Facebook post was created with vested political interests aimed at ending his political career.

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvanthapuram, Satheesan denied any involvement in the recent social media campaign targeting Shine and Unnikrishnan, questioning why his name was being dragged into the issue.

"Why am I being involved when such incidents are reported? What did I do?" Satheesan asked.

He said the CPI(M) should first probe how the allegation originated. "The allegation will be in Congress social media handles. There was no decency from the CPI(M) when such allegations were circulated against the Congress in the last one month," he alleged.

Ernakulam District Congress Committee (DCC) president Muhammad Shiyas also denied any role of the Congress in the social media campaign against Shine and Unnikrishnan.

"I received information about the incident 14 days ago. However, I have not made any allegations so far, as there was no evidence. Congress doesn’t have a culture of targeting women," Shiyas said.

On the other hand, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan alleged that the recent cyberattacks against Shine and Unnikrishnan reflected the "degrading moral standards" within the Congress.

Govindan stated in Thiruvananthapuram that the conspiracy behind the cyberattacks originated in Satheesan’s constituency, North Paravoor.

He also claimed that the CPI(M) women leaders, including former minister K K Shailaja, Health Minister Veena George, and Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran, had earlier been targets of similar online campaigns by Congress supporters. "Such illegal activities will be strongly resisted through legal means," the CPI(M) state secretary said.

Referring to Satheesan’s earlier remarks hinting at a "bomb" following the controversy involving suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, Govindan remarked, "As usual, the bomb has exploded on their own side." PTI TBA TBA KH