A senior Congress leader in Kerala was interrogated by police on Monday over a social media post that showed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alongside a man accused in the high-profile Sabarimala gold theft case. The incident has sparked a fresh political controversy in the state.
March to the Police Station and Questioning
N Subrahmanian, a member of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) political affairs committee, presented himself at the Chevayur police station for questioning. He was accompanied by a large contingent of Congress activists who staged a march in a show of solidarity. The police questioning, conducted by the Chevayur inspector, lasted for approximately 45 minutes.
Outside the station, supporters raised slogans and chanted the popular protest song 'Pottiye Kettiye'. Additionally, Baburaj, a Kakkodi native who managed Subrahmanian's social media accounts, was also summoned and questioned by the authorities.
Defence and Demand for Full Footage
During the interrogation, Subrahmanian staunchly defended his actions. He insisted that the photograph he shared, which was later deleted from his account, was not AI-generated or fabricated. He claimed it was a genuine still image extracted from the original video footage of a public programme attended by the Chief Minister.
To substantiate his claim, Subrahmanian demanded that the state's Public Relations Department release the complete, unedited visuals of the event where Unnikrishnan Potti, the Sabarimala case accused, was reportedly present with CM Vijayan. He argued that the full footage would vindicate him. "If they are not releasing the visuals, I will submit an RTI request seeking unedited footage of the programme," Subrahmanian stated.
Police Action and Ongoing Investigation
The case stems from an FIR registered against Subrahmanian, alleging that the image was shared with the intention of inciting political hatred and unrest between groups. In a related development, the police have taken Subrahmanian's mobile phone into custody and sent it for a detailed forensic examination.
Subrahmanian pointed out that although he deleted the post, the controversial photograph remains available on several other social media pages. He also clarified that the phone used by his aide to upload the image did not contain any AI software tools. Both Subrahmanian and Baburaj were allowed to leave the police station after the questioning session concluded.
This police action follows Subrahmanian's brief custody on Saturday morning, when he was taken from his home and released by noon. The incident continues to fuel a heated debate around political discourse and the use of social media in Kerala's charged political landscape.
