ERODE: A poster announcing a cash award of `1 crore for information on Muslim women who had allegedly joined the Islamic State (IS) ranks allegedly put out in the name of Hindu Munnani stirred the hornet’s nest, with major political outfits seeking stern action against the perpetrators, in the district on Monday.
The image of the poster that went viral on Facebook and WhatsApp drew flak from Muslim outfits.
Denying their role, Hindu Munnani leaders said that the posters were handiwork of anti-social elements trying to disturb the communal amity in the district.
Addressing media personnel, SP MR Sibi Chakravathy said that the Cyber Crime Wing, Chennai, would probe into the incident. Security in the district has been beefed up to prevent the issue from snowballing into a major clash. “We conducted an inquiry with the Munnani State vice president K Pusappan, whose mobile number was printed on the poster. He denied his involvement,” the SP said.
Meanwhile, the Thowheeth Jamath activists who had come to lodge a complaint in this regard also did not blame Pusappan and accepted his claim that it was an act to trigger communal tension, the SP added.
The Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam district president S Md Rizwan told Express that his party would launch protests if the perpetrators were not brought to book immediately.
Speaking to Express, K Pusappan said that ever since the poster carrying his phone number went viral on the social networking sites, he had been receiving threat calls. According to State general secretary of the Munnani, Shanmugasundaram, “Anti-social elements are misusing Munnani’s name to trigger communal tension. We demand that the issue be probed properly and stern action taken against the perpetrators.”
Cover for HM Cadre
The district police on Monday provided additional security to the Hindu Munnani leaders after a controversial poster purportedly created by the outfit began doing rounds on social networking sites.