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Asianet News, a popular Malayalam news channel, lodged a complaint with the Thiruvananthapuram cyber police regarding a cyber campaign against the news channel and its women journalists.
According to Asianet News, an organised campaign was conducted on social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube against them for the past few days.
Over the past few days, several social media handles sympathetic to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have circulated posts alleging that a journalist was sexually assaulted by a prominent young Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).
With no confirmed details of such an incident, many on social media resorted to speculation about the identities of the politician and the journalist. Some also accused a ‘prominent women editor’ of not helping the survivor. The campaign had taken a disturbing turn, with instances of victim shaming and the use of obscene remarks.
In its complaint, Asianet News has named individuals including Porali Shaji, Shameer Shahudheen Varkkala, and Arun Lal SV, along with YouTube channels such as ABC Malayalam and SVS Vibes. The channel has also sought an investigation into others who may be involved in the alleged conspiracy.
In addition to the cyber police complaint, Asianet News has submitted petitions to the Kerala Chief Minister, Director General of Police (DGP), and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).