The Kerala Police on Thursday filed a case against Bharatiya Janata Party MP Shobha Karandlaje for promoting religious enmity after she put up a post on social media alleging that Hindu families in Malappuram were not provided water because they supported the amendments to the Citizenship Act, News18 reported.
Supreme Court advocate and Malappuram resident Subhash Chandran KR complained to the police, based on which the police filed the case.
Karandlaje had tweeted on Wednesday alleging that Hindus of Kuttippuram panchayat in Malappuram were denied water supply because they supported the contentious citizenship law. “Kerala is taking baby steps to become another Kashmir,” she wrote in the tweet. “Will Lutyens telecast this intolerance of PEACEFULS frm [from] God’s Own Country!?”
On Friday morning, Karandlaje took to Twitter to criticise the police case against her. “Instead of acting against the discrimination happened to the dalit families of Cherukunnu, they lodged a case against me,” she wrote. “ High time for entire society to unite against these pressurising tactics of non-performing, biased left govt [government].”
The amendments to the Citizenship Act have been accepted by both Houses of Parliament, she said. “People who are supporting CAA are being boycotted from business, denied of basic amenities & jobs. CPM govt is blind to all these acts happening across Kerala, but files a case against me for speaking the truth!”
Karandlaje was named the first accused. The complaint alleged that her tweet, based on a fake narrative, would affect religious harmony.
The police said the area has had a water crisis for nearly a year and people had been receiving water from a private person’s borewell. “This motor [of the private person] was taken for agricultural work and he was recently issued a warning by Kerala State Electricity Board,” Kuttippuram Sub-Inspector Aravind EA said. “He was told that if he uses the motor for any other purpose, power supply would be disconnected. He then had stopped using the pump following which the crisis worsened.”
Another officer claimed that a right-wing group named Sevabharathi had circulated the false narrative of families being deprived of water.
The Citizenship Amendment Act provides citizenship to refugees from six minority religious communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, provided they have lived in India for six years and entered the country by December 31, 2014. The Act has been widely criticised for excluding Muslims. Twenty-six people died in last month’s protests against the law – all in the BJP-ruled states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Assam.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!