Big TV anchor Aparna Kurup booked, case against Wisdom Youth leader put on hold

Kozhikode: Police on Monday registered a case against Big TV anchor Aparna Kurup following a complaint alleging that remarks made by her during a television debate were derogatory towards Islam and hurt religious sentiments.

The development came even as the Home Department directed police not to hasten proceedings in a separate case filed by Kurup against Abdulla Basil, a leader of the Salafi organisation Wisdom Youth.

The Kochi City cyber police registered the case against Kurup based on a complaint by Abdul Hakim, a native of Kasaragod. However, police have reportedly been instructed to keep proceedings on hold in both cases arising from the same panel discussion, which focused on controversial remarks by Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar concerning women’s participation in public life, The New Indian Express reported.

An FIR had been registered against Basil on Saturday following Kurup’s complaint that she was facing a cyberattack over his social media post criticising the television discussion.

The complaint against Kurup, meanwhile, alleged that her introductory remarks during the programme were insulting and offended religious sentiments. Kurup and the channel had subsequently apologised over the remarks.

Several UDF leaders, including Muslim Youth League state general secretary and Koduvally MLA P K Firos and Youth Congress leader Rejil Makkutty, have called for the withdrawal of the case against Basil.

Firos said the IUML would not support individuals using communal language, but maintained that those who expose communalism should not themselves be targeted through criminal cases. He also asserted that such cases would not be registered if the IUML were in power.

Leaders of the Wisdom Islamic organisation, meanwhile, raised questions over whether there was a conspiracy behind the registration of the case against Basil.

The Home Department has also reportedly directed police to act on a complaint filed by Basil against former Muslim activist Arif Hussein. The complaint, submitted to the chief minister and the state police chief on August 12, alleged that Hussein had insulted Basil’s mother. It was subsequently forwarded to the Chakkarakkal police station, but no action has reportedly been taken so far.

Meanwhile, IUML state president Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal warned against attempts by various forces to exploit the controversy.

In a Facebook post, he said the recent discussions had damaged a cultural heritage built through years of struggle and cautioned that insulting remarks and hate speech on social media would benefit no one.