THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday strongly criticised the social media campaign against national award-winning Malayalam actor Salim Kumar during his final days, saying such attacks were unacceptable and unbecoming of the state.
Recalling the cyber attacks directed at the actor while he was battling a serious illness, Satheesan said it was disturbing that abusive comments were posted even when Salim Kumar was on ventilator support.
Salim Kumar died while undergoing treatment for pneumonia at a private hospital in Kochi on Saturday night.
"When Salim Kumar was lying ill, there was a massive attack against him on social media. People even asked, 'can't he just die?'" the CM said, asking what wrong he had done.
Questioning the motives behind the campaign, he said: "Even after his death, a very bad social media campaign continued. Is this happening in Kerala? Who is behind this campaign?" Satheesan said artistes, like everyone else, have their own political beliefs, but targeting someone because of their politics while they are fighting for their life was unacceptable.
"Artistes have their own politics. But conducting such campaigns against a person who is ill, lying on a ventilator and battling death because of his political views is not good for Kerala," he said.
The CM said those responsible for the campaign would eventually realise the gravity of their actions.
Salim Kumar, a National Award-winning actor known for his versatile performances, was widely regarded as a Congress sympathiser and was considered close to Satheesan.
Satheesan also came down heavily on the conduct of online media channels during the actor's cremation on Sunday.
Television visuals showing Salim Kumar's son Chandu asking online media personnel to move away after they allegedly pushed into the crowd to capture footage had gone viral on social media.
Satheesan said the issue could not be addressed through legislation alone and called for greater responsibility from media organisations.
"I myself spoke to them very angrily. The police could not render honours, and the family could not perform the rituals. It was a very difficult situation," he said.
The CM's remarks came amid widespread criticism over both the online abuse faced by the late actor during his illness and the social media frenzy witnessed during his cremation.
