Defamation campaign against League Kerala chief Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal: Police case registered

Malappuram (Kerala): The Malappuram Cyber Police has registered a case following a complaint by the Muslim League regarding defamatory posts directed at the party’s state president, Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal. The posts appeared on Facebook on Monday evening, prompting an immediate investigation by the authorities.

Technical tactics by perpetrator
The investigation reveals that the derogatory images were posted via a fake Facebook profile created using an international phone number. The perpetrator reportedly used a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to log in and mask their identity. While a digital news channel briefly shared the post, it was promptly removed, and the original social media post was also deleted shortly thereafter.

Political escalation and cross-complaints

The Muslim League filed the formal complaint on Monday night following instructions from national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty. The incident quickly became a flashpoint between the cyber wings of the two major political fronts. Since the fake profile was found to be following only Afzal Panakkad, a prominent pro-CPM campaigner, he faced major online backlash. Consequently, Afzal has submitted a complaint to the Chief Minister regarding the cyber-attacks against him.

LDF leadership responds

As the Muslim League pointed fingers at the LDF, senior leaders intervened to clarify their position. K T Jaleel, the LDF candidate for the Thavanur constituency, issued a statement condemning the act and demanding strict punishment for anyone attempting to insult the Panakkad Thangal.