The Ernakulam Police arrested YouTuber KM Shajahan in a case involving a defamatory campaign against CPI(M) leader KJ Shine. He was detained from his residence in Akkulam, Thiruvananthapuram on September 25 Thursday, and his arrest was formally registered the next day. Shajahan will be presented before the court after being brought to Ernakulam, where his arrest proceedings are expected to be completed.
Shajahan, once served as the private secretary to the late Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan. His interrogation on September 25 lasted several hours at the Ernakulam Rural cybercrime police station in Aluva. He was not detained that day, but police say he soon uploaded another video naming Shine, prompting her to lodge a fresh complaint. In his initial video he did not name Shine.
The development comes amid an ongoing probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed on September 20, to investigate the alleged cyber harassment faced by Shine. The CPI(M) leader, who had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Ernakulam and previously served in the North Paravur municipality alleged that multiple social media handles across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Threads had circulated sexually offensive content using her photographs.
Following her complaint, an FIR was registered against local Congress leader CK Gopalakrishnan and Shajahan. The charges invoked include sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to stalking and insulting the modesty of a woman, provisions of the IT Act for publishing obscene content online, and sections of the Kerala Police Act addressing online harassment.
Investigators have since sought information from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to trace the accounts involved in the campaign.
The controversy has widened as other CPI(M) leaders in Ernakulam have come forward with similar complaints. Vypeen MLA KN Unnikrishnan has filed a separate defamation case, while district MLAs PV Sreenijan, KJ Maxy, and Antony John have also alleged that they were targeted by the same social media networks.