The House of a Muslim man was allegedly attacked and destroyed by a group of men associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after his photo and identity were aired by a Malayalam news channel as the kidnapper wanted by Kerala police in a controversial kidnapping case in Kollam district, Kerala.
Drawing a resemblance with Chandanathope native of Kollam district, 54-year-old Shahjahan’s photo along with a sketch prepared by Kerala Police was published by Amrita TV news channel which is owned by a Hindu saint also known as Amma or Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, as breaking news claiming that Shahjahan was the kidnapper of 6-year-old Abigail Sara Reji who was abducted from the same district on November 27.
Following the fake news report, the house of Shahjahan which is made up of tarpaulin and metal sheets was destroyed in his absence on the night of November 28, 2023, by a group of men supposedly associated with RSS.
The mentioned news report aired by Amrita TV was later pulled down without any explanation.
On live, Amrita TV ran the photo of Shahjahan along with headlines – “name of the accused is Gym Shahjahan”, “Grandfather of the kidnapped girl identified Shahjahan”, “person in the sketch is identified”, “people saw Shahjahan roaming around the area from where the girl was abducted.”
The House of Shahjahan was in shambles when visited by this reporter. Shahjahan who is unmarried often stays with his brother’s family whereas his 30-year-old niece, Haseena, lives with her family.
Haseena, explaining the ordeal to Maktoob, said, “On 28 November, photos of our uncle, Shahjahan, started appearing on local WhatsApp groups. Around 3.30 pm, a police team of Kundara police station came to the house where Shahjahan lives.”
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here .