A member of the Social Democratic Party of India was booked by the police in Kattangal of Pathanamthitta district, for distributing and forcefully making school children wear badges that said, “I am Babri”. Videos and pictures show a man pinning the badges on kids from the St George High School in Kattangal on December 6, the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition.
Police registered a case based on a complaint filed by BJP’s Ranni Madalam President Suresh K Pillai, under the IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 34 (committing a criminal act with common intention).
Police have named an SDPI worker Muneer Nazer in the FIR and other names will be added only after investigation. The Kattangal panchayat is ruled by a coalition of the CPI(M) and SDPI, the CPI(M) has distanced itself from the controversy.
BJP national executive member P K Krishnadas sent a complaint to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), calling the incident a violation of the rights of children and a deliberate attempt to create a communal divide.
Meanwhile, another video shows a young man telling a class of children that they will be the ones who regain Babri Masjid for Muslims in the country. Though it is unclear where and when the video was shot, many BJP cadres have taken to social media alleging that this was a lesson held by PFI. PFI has denied the allegation. Kuttiyady police station in Kozhikode under whose limits this class was reportedly held said they have not received any complaint over it and are unaware of any such class.