Kalamasserry blast: 53 cases including one against Union minister registered across Kerala for spreading fake news

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that 53 cases have been registered across the state in connection with spreading fake narratives through social media to allegedly instigate communal sentiments in connection with the blasts at a Christian religious gathering at Kochi's Kalamassery in October last year.

Responding to a question by MLA M Naushad in the Assembly, Vijayan said the Left government views the attempts to incite hatred in the state as a serious matter.

The Chief Minister informed the Assembly that cases have been registered against BJP leader and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, a few other BJP leaders, some online news portals, its editors, two Malayalam television channels and its reporters, among others.

He said 69 social media links were removed as per various provisions of the IT Act.

Vijayan said the state police chief had issued directions to monitor social media to stop the spread of fake news and take appropriate actions.

Eight people lost their lives in the blasts that occurred during a gathering of Jehovah's Witnesses on October 29, 2023. They had gathered on the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting.

During the multiple blasts at the international convention centre in Kalamassery, over 50 people were injured. Some were also seriously wounded.

A few hours after the incident, a man named Dominic Martin, who claimed to be an estranged member of Jehovah's Witnesses, surrendered before the Thrissur police, asserting that he had carried out the multiple blasts. The police later arrested him.

In addition to Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (punishment for murder) and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) were invoked against Martin.