A sessions court in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district ordered the police to register a case against former state minister and CPI (M) legislator KT Jaleel over his controversial social media post wherein he called Jammu and Kashmir “Indian adheena Jammu and Kashmir” (India-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as “Azad Kashmir”.
The directive of the court in Thiruvalla came on a plea filed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Pathanamthitta district leader Arun Mohan seeking legal action against Jaleel for his alleged “anti-national remarks”.
After admitting the plea, the court ordered police to register a case against him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Jaleel is yet to comment on the court order.
In his Facebook post on August 12 describing his visit to the valley, Jaleel said, “The part of Kashmir annexed to Pakistan was known as ‘Azad Kashmir’ and it was an area where the Pakistan government does not have direct control. Indian adheena Jammu and Kashmir (India-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) consists of parts of Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh.”
He also said, “People of Kashmir were forgotten to laugh because army soldiers were everywhere. “It seems Kashmiris have become a people who have forgotten to laugh. Army trucks and military presence seem to be part of the daily life of Kashmiris. There is a kind of indifference lurking in every part of Kashmir,” he said in the post.
He later edited his controversial Facebook post and issued a defence by saying that he sympathizes with those who failed to understand the meaning of his remarks.
“I only have sympathy towards those who cannot understand the meaning when I wrote Azad Kashmir in double inverted comma,” he said in the post.
On August 14, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) submitted a complaint against Jaleel to the Thiruvananthapuram police commissioner, seeking strict against him. Three complaints were already filed against Jaleel in Kerala (2) and Delhi (2), respectively, a day before.
Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan has also filed a complaint with Kerala assembly speaker M B Rajesh, saying that the former minister violated the oath of office. The speaker is yet to take up the matter.
