Fresh case against history-sheeter Ayanki over Facebook post targeting Kerala CM

A fresh case has been registered against history-sheeter Arjun Ayanki for allegedly defaming the Kerala Chief Minister on social media, even as police continued their search for him across the state, officials said on Saturday.

The Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police registered the case on Friday night based on a Facebook post allegedly uploaded by Ayanki on August 5.

According to the FIR, Ayanki allegedly posted the content "with the intention and deliberate plan to defame the Chief Minister of Kerala in public and to create enmity and provoke a riot among the public."

The post was uploaded from a Facebook account named "Arjun Ayanki" on August 5.

In the post, Ayanki claimed that Oommen Chandy was better than the current Kerala Chief Minister.

As per the FIR, he also called the current Chief Minister a "joker and liar" in the Facebook post.

The FIR alleged that the post was intended to influence the public and provoke public disorder.

Police book Ayanki under BNS, IT Act

Police have registered the case under Sections 296(b) for uttering obscene words in or near a public place and 192 for wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.

Kannur Cyber Police also registered a case against Ayanki for challenging State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday.

Search for Ayanki intensifies

The fresh case comes amid an intensified search for Ayanki, who is wanted in connection with a case involving alleged threats to police officers in Kothamangalam near here.

The Police had detained his brother Akhil and two associates on Friday as part of efforts to trace him.

On Saturday, police took five people who are close associates of Ayanki in Thiruvananthapuram into custody.

Chennithala denies shoot-on-sight order

Meanwhile, Chennithala on Saturday dismissed reports that police had been ordered to shoot below the knee of Ayanki.

Responding to reporters' questions in Palakkad, Chennithala said the police would deal with Ayanki and other alleged goons according to established procedures.

"That is not a big deal. Many people come and go here like rowdies. The police will take care of all that," he said.

Asked about reports that police had been ordered to open fire following a massive human chain held on Friday evening, Chennithala said the police would handle the matter in their own way.

"How many goons walk around the area, verbally abusing and threatening people? What should be done about such people? The police have their own methods for dealing with them, and they will do it," he said.

Asked specifically whether any directive had been issued to use firearms against Ayanki, Chennithala said there was no such order.

"No, nothing like that. I don't know about it," he said.

To a query whether the matter was being formally monitored, the minister said the police had established procedures for dealing with such cases.

"We don't view this as a very serious matter. Someone comes out onto the road and insults people; the police have a procedure for that, and they will follow it," he said.

Ayanki's earlier cases

A native of Azhikode in Kannur district, Ayanki first came to public attention in connection with a gold smuggling network operating through Karipur airport in 2021.

The latest case against him stems from a police raid at a resort in Kothamangalam, where he and a friend were taken into custody on suspicion of assembling for criminal activities.

After being released on bail, Ayanki allegedly posted threatening messages on social media targeting the Kothamangalam Station House Officer who led the raid.

Based on the officer's complaint, the police registered a fresh case against him.

The Kerala High Court recently dismissed Ayanki's anticipatory bail plea.

Police alleged that after the dismissal of his bail plea, he continued threatening police officers by sending voice messages through social media platforms.