Vadakara: A DYFI leader was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the 'Kafir screenshot' case that sparked a political storm during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign in Kerala's Vadakara constituency.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Jithin Bhaskar, alleging that he was the first person to circulate the controversial screenshot that later became the centre of a bitter political row between the CPM and the Congress-led UDF.

According to police sources, Bhaskar, who was an administrator of a Left-affiliated WhatsApp group named Vadakara Squad, allegedly shared the screenshot in the group before it spread more widely. The arrest was recorded after he was questioned by the SIT at the Vadakara Crime Branch office. He had been summoned by investigators on multiple occasions as part of the probe.

The arrest comes nearly two years after the controversy erupted during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and in the second week of the SIT's renewed investigation ordered by the Congress-led UDF government.

The case centres around a social media screenshot that surfaced ahead of polling in Vadakara. The post allegedly urged voters not to support CPM candidate K K Shailaja, referring to her as a "kafir", an Arabic term used to describe a non-believer.

The CPM had accused Congress workers and UDF candidate Shafi Parambil of creating and circulating the content to influence voters. The UDF denied the allegations and, in turn, claimed that CPM leaders and workers were behind the campaign.

Earlier, a case had been registered against MSF leader Muhammed Kasim based on a complaint filed by the LDF Election Committee. However, the Kerala High Court observed that his role had not been established. Investigators subsequently informed the Vadakara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court that the probe had not yielded any concrete evidence, effectively closing the case.

The investigation was reopened after the UDF came to power in the state. Congress MLA Parakkal Abdulla sought a fresh probe through a letter to State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, following which a Special Investigation Team was constituted.

With PTI inputs