Vellappally Natesan brands journalist ‘terrorist’, faces police complaint
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.The Youth Congress in Kerala has filed a police complaint against Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of the social organisation Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, for publicly branding a journalist a “terrorist” after being questioned at a press interaction.The complaint relates to remarks made by Vellappally against Reporter TV journalist Rahees Rasheed, whom he described as a “terrorist” on Friday, January 2, citing Rahees’ hometown of Erattupetta and his past association with the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).The incident followed a media interaction held a day earlier, on January 1. During the press meet, Rahees questioned Vellappally about the SNDP’s inability to set up a school in Malappuram, an issue Vellappally himself had previously raised. The SNDP is one of Kerala’s most influential caste-based organisations, with a strong Ezhava support base and long-standing political clout.To Rahees’ question, Vellappally responded that the organisation had not received permission from the government. Rahees then followed up by asking why such permission had not been granted despite the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, having been in power for nearly a decade.Visibly angered, Vellappally pushed the microphone away and abruptly ended the exchange. The following day, while addressing the media, Vellappally escalated the attack, personally targeting Rahees. “I know the reporter. He is from Erattupetta and a leader of MSF. He is a terrorist and a spokesperson of Muslims. Someone sent him there,” Vellappally said, alleging that the journalist had asked questions in a disrespectful manner.When other journalists present pressed him to explain the basis for calling Rahees a terrorist, Vellappally claimed he had personal reasons to do so. “Yes, I called him a terrorist based on my experience,” he said, without citing any specific incident.Responding to the remarks, Rahees said that his background was no secret. “People who know me, or follow me on social media, know that I am from Erattupetta and that I used to work with MSF,” he said. “I don’t think I need to react to his comment that I am a terrorist. I am not someone who hides or lives in secrecy. People know who I am.”This is not the first time Vellappally has courted controversy with communal remarks. In April 2025, he made inflammatory comments about Malappuram, which is the only Muslim majority district in Kerala, describing it as “the country of a specific community.” Addressing residents there, he said, “I know how difficult your life here is, living with fear of certain people. I don’t think you can live in Malappuram by breathing fresh air. You also cannot live here by freely expressing your opinions."
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THE Youth Congress in Kerala has filed a police complaint against Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of the social organisation Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, for publicly branding a journalist a “terrorist” after being questioned at a press interaction.
The complaint relates to remarks made by Vellappally against Reporter TV journalist Rahees Rasheed, whom he described as a “terrorist” on Friday, January 2, citing Rahees’ hometown of Erattupetta and his past association with the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
The incident followed a media interaction held a day earlier, on January 1. During the press meet, Rahees questioned Vellappally about the SNDP’s inability to set up a school in Malappuram, an issue Vellappally himself had previously raised. The SNDP is one of Kerala’s most influential caste-based organisations, with a strong Ezhava support base and long-standing political clout.
To Rahees’ question, Vellappally responded that the organisation had not received permission from the government. Rahees then followed up by asking why such permission had not been granted despite the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, having been in power for nearly a decade.
Visibly angered, Vellappally pushed the microphone away and abruptly ended the exchange.
The following day, while addressing the media, Vellappally escalated the attack, personally targeting Rahees. “I know the reporter. He is from Erattupetta and a leader of MSF. He is a terrorist and a spokesperson for Muslims. Someone sent him there,” Vellappally said, alleging that the journalist had disrespectfully asked questions.
When other journalists pressed him to explain the basis for calling Rahees a terrorist, Vellappally claimed he had personal reasons to do so. “Yes, I called him a terrorist based on my experience,” he said, without citing any specific incident.
Responding to the remarks, Rahees said that his background was no secret. “People who know me, or follow me on social media, know that I am from Erattupetta and that I used to work with MSF,” he said. “I don’t think I need to react to his comment that I am a terrorist. I am not someone who hides or lives in secrecy. People know who I am.”
This is not the first time Vellappally has courted controversy with communal remarks. In April 2025, he made inflammatory comments about Malappuram, which is the only Muslim-majority district in Kerala, describing it as “the country of a specific community.”
Addressing residents there, he said, “I know how difficult your life here is, living with fear of certain people. I don’t think you can live in Malappuram by breathing fresh air. You also cannot live here by freely expressing your opinions."
