SIT to be formed to probe social media posts insulting Dalit icon Ayyankali: Kerala CM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that a special investigation team (SIT) will be constituted to probe who was behind the social media posts insulting the memory of 'Mahatma Ayyankali', a renowned social reformer.

The chief minister was responding to a submission in the state assembly by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan who claimed lack of progress on the part of the state government in identifying who was behind the offensive social media posts and taking action against them.

Vijayan assured that those who covertly or even openly insult the memory of Ayyankali would not be spared by the government.

He also said that a case under Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation, with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram and an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been registered in the Ernakulam Town North police station in connection with the posts.

The cases were lodged after complaints were received regarding the posts and an investigation has been launched, he said.

The chief minister said that recently there was also a social media post insulting the famous 'Villuvandi Samaram' (bullock cart protest) -- an agitation initiated by Ayyankali for the freedom of movement of the lower classes who were prohibited from entering public roads used by or under the control of higher castes.

Vijayan said that on checking Facebook, there were multiple accounts in the name of the group which had put up the social media post.

Subsequently, Facebook was approached by the authorities seeking information about the group and steps were taken to block them, he said.

Thereafter, as part of the investigation in the two cases, the communications in the group were suspended, its members and admins were tracked down and their statements recorded, the chief minister said.

Besides these legal measures, the government had also taken other steps -- like renaming VJT Hall in the state capital after the social reformer, to uphold and highlight the memory of Ayyankali who had worked tirelessly to lift a community from the plight of oppression and untouchability, Vijayan said.

Defaming Ayyankali's memory amounts to throwing mud at Kerala's past struggles, he said and added that the society should not permit the same.

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