Thiruvananthapuram, June 4 (BPNS)

Popular Front state treasurer K.H. Nasar was arrested on Saturday by the Kerala police in a case related to hate sloganeering by a minor boy. Popular Front of India (PFI) carried out protest marches in several places of the state against the arrest of Nassar.

It may be noted that the PFI in its ‘Save the Republic’ programme conducted at Alappuzha on May 21, a minor boy was seen raising offensive slogans by riding on the shoulders of a person. The slogans raised by the child was leading to creating a division among various communities in the state.

Police arrested 20 people in the case related to sloganeering by the minor boy after a complaint was filed by a person, V.K. Vijayakumar. Anas, the man who carried the boy on his shoulder and hailing from Erattupetta was the first person to be arrested in the case. PFI Alappuzha district leaders Navas Vandanam and Mujeeb were also arrested. The Father of the boy who is a PFI activist was arrested seven days after the incident as immediately after the sloganeering became a major controversy, the family had left for an unknown destination.

The boy’s father has however reportedly told the police that the boy was not taught about the sloganeering by anyone and instead he had listened to these slogans while attending other programmes of the PFI including the protest programme against CAA.

The arrest of PFI state leader K.H.Nasser is seen as part of a major crackdown by the Kerala police against the Islamist outfit that was trying to divide the society in the name of the religion.