Kerala Police Book Absconding Youth for Social Media Post Against CM

The Ernakulam Rural Cyber Crime Police have registered a fresh case against Arjun Ayanki, a youth who is currently absconding in connection with threats to police officers. The new case relates to a social media post allegedly targeting Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.

The case was registered based on a complaint filed by Manoj Jose Azhakath, who emailed the complaint to the State Police Chief on August 7. The complaint was later forwarded to the District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) for action.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the post, allegedly published by Mr. Ayanki on August 5 at 9.52 p.m., was intended to defame the Chief Minister in public, mislead viewers, and provoke public disorder or rioting.

Mr. Ayanki has been booked under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot; Section 296(b) of BNS, relating to uttering obscene words in or near a public place; and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which addresses publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.

This fresh case comes amid an intensified manhunt for Mr. Ayanki, who was earlier booked for allegedly threatening and abusing police officers through social media. The previous case involved a co-operative conspiracy charge, for which he had obtained bail. Following his release, he allegedly released abusive voice messages and social media posts targeting the Kothamangalam and Oonnukal Station House Officers.

A 10-member special squad has been formed to trace Mr. Ayanki. The squad is conducting searches across the State, coordinating with cyber cell teams and local police stations. Authorities have not yet commented on his possible whereabouts.

The development highlights the increasing scrutiny of online posts and the legal consequences for individuals using social media to target public officials. While the right to free speech is constitutionally protected, law enforcement agencies have invoked specific sections of the BNS and IT Act when such speech is perceived as a threat to public order or as obscene.

Legal experts note that the application of these sections will be examined by courts to determine whether the content of the post meets the threshold of provocation or obscenity as defined by law. The accused has not yet been served notice, and the investigation is ongoing.