Malappuram: A 26-year-old man from Kerala's Malappuram district has been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) over allegations that he posted anti-national comments on social media supporting the Pahalgam terror attack, with the BJP later using the case to accuse the Congress and the CPM of pursuing "appeasement politics" and contributing to the radicalisation of youth.

The accused, Muhammed Sanoof, was detained by immigration officials at Karipur International Airport in the early hours of Friday after returning from Saudi Arabia, where he had been working.

Police said the case originated from a social media comment allegedly posted under a news report featuring the daughter of N. Ramachandran, a Malayali who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. According to investigators, the comment appeared to express support for the attack.

The case was initially registered at Muttom police station in 2025 following a complaint lodged by Yuva Morcha leader Adeena Bharathi, who also submitted a screenshot of the alleged post.

During the investigation, police questioned Sanoof and examined his mobile phones. Following the preliminary interrogation, investigators invoked provisions of the UAPA.

A senior police officer said the inquiry had uncovered "serious offences" warranting the use of the anti-terror law. However, police have not disclosed further details about the findings.

Sanoof has been remanded to judicial custody. Police said they would seek further interrogation as the investigation continues.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar blames Congress and CPM

Reacting to the arrest, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused the Congress and the CPM of pursuing "vote-bank and appeasement politics", alleging that it had contributed to the radicalisation of a section of the state's youth.

In a X post on Sunday, Chandrasekhar referred to the arrest and questioned how "a young Malayali" could be "brainwashed into celebrating the brutal, cold-blooded murder of a fellow Malayali in the Pahalgam terror attack."

He described the arrest as a "wake-up call" and claimed it was not an isolated incident but the result of "years of appeasement, radicalisation and Congress-CPM's political hypocrisy".

The BJP leader alleged that the Congress and the CPM had prioritised vote-bank politics over national interest, mainstreamed radical forces and created "an ecosystem where patriotism is questioned, and radicalisation is normalised".

Chandrasekhar said such politics posed a threat to both Kerala and the country. He argued that young people in the state deserved "a future built on skills, opportunity, innovation and patriotism, not hatred, radicalisation and division."

He added that Kerala's future lay in "deeper integration with India's growth story" and called for an end to what he described as "dangerous politics" in favour of the "politics of performance".