Kochi, Kerala: A 26-year-old man from North Paravur in Kerala’s Ernakulam district has been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly posting an anti-India and inflammatory comment on social media in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack, police said.
The accused, identified as Mohammed Sanoof, was taken into custody by police at Karipur International Airport upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia, where he had been employed. He was later handed over to the Muttom Police in Idukki district and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days.
According to the police, the case relates to a social media comment allegedly posted about a year ago beneath an emotional video shared by the daughter of N. Ramachandran, a Kerala soldier who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. Investigators allege that Sanoof commented that “Indians will die again,” a remark police described as provocative and prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
The complaint was filed by Adeen Bharathi, the state secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), who submitted a screenshot of the alleged comment to the Muttom Police. Following an investigation conducted with the assistance of the Kerala Cyber Cell, police registered a case under the UAPA and reportedly issued a lookout notice for the accused while he was abroad.
Police have seized the accused’s mobile phone and other digital devices and are examining his social media activity as part of the ongoing investigation.
In a statement, police said they would take strict legal action against individuals who use social media to post content that allegedly undermines the country’s sovereignty or insults soldiers and their families.
Reacting to the arrest, BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticized both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), alleging that years of political appeasement had contributed to the spread of extremist ideologies.
“The arrest of the youth who celebrated the death of a soldier who sacrificed his life for the nation is a warning to every Malayali,” Chandrasekhar said in a Facebook post.
He further alleged that such incidents were not isolated and accused the Congress and the CPI(M) of prioritizing vote-bank politics over national interest. He also said Kerala’s youth should be guided toward skills, innovation, development, and patriotism rather than hatred and extremism.
The investigation into the case is continuing.
Source: Based on information released by the Kerala Police and public statements made by BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The allegations against the accused are currently under investigation, and the case is pending before the court.
