The Ernakulam Central police have registered a case on a petition filed by Vinodkumar Kallolickal, history professor and coordinator of the Department of Archaeology of Maharaja’s College, alleging intimidation and defamation on various social media platforms in the wake of the mark list row.
He was the first accused in a case registered on the basis of a petition filed by Students Federation of India (SFI) State secretary P.M. Arsho accusing a conspiracy behind the erroneous mark list that showed that he had cleared an exam that he never took.
“Intimidatory and defamatory posts from multiple profiles are rampant across all social media platforms. They exhorted to inflict bodily harm, attack my house and stop me from stepping out of my house. Some of those posts are really scary and seemed bent up on sabotaging my academic career,” said Prof. Kallolickal.
Incidentally, the professor found himself in the middle of the controversy just days after he was bestowed with professorship in history by the Director of the Collegiate Education on May 31.
One such derogatory post complete with the photograph of the professor urged to target him and accused him of being hand in glove with District Congress Committee president Muhammed Shiyas in targeting the SFI. Another post bearing his photograph and that of a news channel reporter who is the fifth accused in the case a conspiracy between the two.
The police have registered a case against unknown persons invoking IPC Section 506 (criminal intimidation) and Section 120 (o) (causing, through any means of communication, a nuisance of himself to any person by repeated or undesirable or anonymous call, letter, writing, message, e-mail or through a messenger) of the Kerala Police Act.
As per the First Information Report, the professor initially submitted the complaint before the Ernakulam Judicial First Class Magistrate court, which forwarded it to the police with a direction to take appropriate action. Thus, the FIR was registered on June 13.
