KOCHI: THE Police on Sunday arrested 37 persons for distributing pamphlets containing materials allegedly denigrating another religion in Moothakunnam and Vadakkekara area near North Paravur.
According to the officers, local residents complained to police that a group of people, under the banner of Wisdom Global Islamic Mission, distributed the pamphlets containing remarks against polytheism and inviting them to embrace Islam.
Later, the group was taken into custody and a team of officers under Aluva Rural SP A V George conducted a detailed interrogation. The police recorded the arrest by evening.
The officers recovered the notices with the title ‘Vimochanathinte Vazhi’ (Path of Liberation), which allegedly contains the remarks on polytheism, termed as a severe sin by Islam.
The notice ends with an invite to join Islam religion. However, it also has remarks against terrorism and fundamentalism.
The incident came to light when a group of local residents disrupted the distribution of pamphlets in Moothakunnam area, which led to a scuffle and later created a tension in the area for a few hours.
The local residents alleged the group came to the area with maps having the location of a temple and other places of worship in the area.
A team led by Vadakkekara Circle Inspector reached the spot and brought the situation under control after taking the persons involved in the distribution of leaflets into custody. There were also allegations that this kind of notices was distributed in Kottayam on August 15.
Rural SP A V George said all the 37 persons were booked under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of IPC. “We are not accusing them of any terror activity. However, one of the pamphlets which they were distributing had statements like ‘welcoming people to Islam’ and that ‘idol worshiping is wrong’.
We recognise their right to propagate their ideology. However, going to households which practises idol worship with pamphlets saying it is wrong is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony”, he added.Wisdom Global Islamic Mission, meanwhile, denied the reports that they propagated communal hatred through the booklets. “While Fascism and terrorist activities are going up, it’s required to protect humanity and secularist values. The contents in the pamphlets distributed as part of the door-to-door campaign by the volunteers of Wisdom Global Islamic Mission are not intended to upset religious sentiments,” said a press release issued by its office bearers V M Jabir and Mohammed Ali Kochi.
According to them three pamphlets - Jeevitham Enthinu Vendi, IS Mathanishidham Manava Virudham and Ore Oru India Otta Janatha - contains no remarks inciting religious hatred, but called on to realise the forces involved in fundamentalist activities. The Vadakkekara police registered a case against a few persons in connection with the incident.