Cyber Police Probe Posts Threatening CM’s Security Staff With ‘Revenge’

A case has been registered and an investigation launched into a series of social media posts allegedly threatening a member of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ’s security team, officials said on Sunday.

The Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police acted on a complaint filed by security staff member Sandeep Sasidharan . According to police, the posts not only used abusive language but also suggested that he would face retaliation and consequences once the United Democratic Front (UDF) comes to power , indicating a politically motivated threat narrative.

The controversy is linked to an earlier incident during the Navakerala Sadas programme in Alappuzha in 2023, when the Congress accused Sandeep and another officer, Anil Kumar, of assaulting two Youth Congress-KSU activists during a protest against the Chief Minister. However, a subsequent probe by the Crime Branch gave both officers a clean chit.

Police said that following the conclusion of the state assembly election on April 9, multiple posts allegedly from Congress, Youth Congress and KSU activists surfaced on social media platforms, particularly Facebook. These posts implied that action would be taken against the officer, framing it as “revenge” once the current Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is removed from power .

Cases have been registered against several Facebook accounts, including Arun Rajendran , Tom Kuriakose , Yaser KP , Sony Panamthanam , Sarath Pillai , KSU Kanjiramkulam , Rahul John C and Youth Congress Battle.

According to the FIR, the complainant’s photograph and name were circulated alongside threatening messages. Police said the account holders have been identified and will be summoned for questioning as part of the probe.

The case has been booked under Sections 296(b) (uttering obscene words causing public annoyance), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (acts done by several persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.