DYFI worker arrested for circulating communally polarising screenshot during 2021 polls
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing a case related to a fabricated screenshot circulated during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign in Kerala's Vadakara, allegedly to polarise voters, has arrested a Democratic Youth Front of India (DYFI) worker. DYFI is the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Jithin Bhaskaran, a member of the DYFI Vadakara block committee and administrator of the 'Vadakara Squad' WhatsApp group, was taken into custody after being questioned by the SIT on Tuesday. Police have booked him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The case relates to a screenshot that surfaced on social media during the high-profile electoral contest between CPI(M) candidate KK Shailaja and Congress leader Shafi Parambil in Vadakara. The screenshot projected Parambil as a devout Muslim and described Shailaja as a "kafir", a derogatory term used against non-Muslims, triggering a major political controversy during the campaign. The screenshot was initially alleged to have been circulated by supporters of the Congress-led UDF. However, subsequent investigations found no evidence against those first accused in the case and raised questions about the actual origin of the message. The controversy first led to an investigation against Mohammed Kasim, a Muslim Youth League activist whose name appeared in the screenshot. The probe, however, failed to establish any link between him and the message. Police later informed the court that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him and the case was closed. The matter resurfaced after Kasim approached the Kerala High Court seeking details of the investigation. During subsequent inquiries, police found that the screenshot had first appeared in WhatsApp groups and social media platforms allegedly operated by individuals associated with the CPI(M) and its youth wing. According to investigation reports submitted before the court, DYFI leader Ribesh Ramakrishnan was the first known person to share the screenshot in the 'Red Encounters' WhatsApp group on April 25, 2024. The image was later circulated through other WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages, helping it gain wider visibility during the election campaign. A police report submitted in 2024 suggested that the screenshot's circulation may have originated within networks linked to the CPI(M), contradicting earlier allegations that it was spread by UDF supporters. However, investigators were unable to determine who had originally created the screenshot. The case was reopened after the UDF government assumed office and constituted a Special Investigation Team. State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar appointed Kozhikode Rural District Police Chief T Farash as the investigating officer, while Kannur Range IG Yathish Chandra was named head of the SIT. During the fresh probe, investigators questioned administrators of several WhatsApp groups and reportedly received information indicating that the disputed screenshot had been shared through the 'Vadakara Squad' group administered by Jithin Bhaskaran. The SIT subsequently expanded the investigation to other groups after obtaining fresh leads. Police are continuing efforts to trace the origin of the screenshot and establish the chain of its circulation. Forensic examination reports are awaited as the investigation progresses. Meanwhile, DYFI leaders have alleged that the probe is politically motivated and aimed at targeting the organisation's activists.
THE Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing a case related to a fabricated screenshot circulated during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign in Kerala's Vadakara, allegedly to polarise voters, has arrested a Democratic Youth Front of India (DYFI) worker.
DYFI is the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Jithin Bhaskaran, a member of the DYFI Vadakara block committee and administrator of the 'Vadakara Squad' WhatsApp group, was taken into custody after being questioned by the SIT on Tuesday. Police have booked him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The case relates to a screenshot that surfaced on social media during the high-profile electoral contest between CPI(M) candidate KK Shailaja and Congress leader Shafi Parambil in Vadakara. The screenshot depicted Parambil as a devout Muslim and described Shailaja as a "kafir", a derogatory term used against non-Muslims, triggering a major political controversy during the campaign.
The screenshot was initially alleged to have been circulated by supporters of the Congress-led UDF. However, subsequent investigations found no evidence against those first accused in the case and raised questions about the actual origin of the message.
The controversy first led to an investigation against Mohammed Kasim, a Muslim Youth League activist whose name appeared in the screenshot. The probe, however, failed to establish any link between him and the message. Police later informed the court that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him and the case was closed.
The matter resurfaced after Kasim approached the Kerala High Court seeking details of the investigation. During subsequent inquiries, police found that the screenshot had first appeared in WhatsApp groups and social media platforms allegedly operated by individuals associated with the CPI(M) and its youth wing.
According to investigation reports submitted before the court, DYFI leader Ribesh Ramakrishnan was the first known person to share the screenshot in the 'Red Encounters' WhatsApp group on April 25, 2024. The image was later circulated through other WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages, helping it gain wider visibility during the election campaign.
A police report submitted in 2024 suggested that the screenshot's circulation may have originated within networks linked to the CPI(M), contradicting earlier allegations that it was spread by UDF supporters. However, investigators were unable to determine who had created the screenshot.
The case was reopened after the UDF government assumed office and constituted a Special Investigation Team. State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar appointed Kozhikode Rural District Police Chief T Farash as the investigating officer, while Kannur Range IG Yathish Chandra was named head of the SIT.
During the fresh probe, investigators questioned administrators of several WhatsApp groups and reportedly received information indicating that the disputed screenshot had been shared through the 'Vadakara Squad' group administered by Jithin Bhaskaran. The SIT subsequently expanded the investigation to other groups after obtaining fresh leads.
Police are continuing efforts to trace the origin of the screenshot and establish the chain of its circulation. Forensic examination reports are awaited as the investigation progresses. Meanwhile, DYFI leaders have alleged that the probe is politically motivated and aimed at targeting the organisation's activists.
