The Kerala police have registered a case against senior television journalist Aparna Kurup for her remarks during a debate on Muslim cleric Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar’s diktat on women’s conduct in public places.

Kurup is a senior co-ordinating editor and anchor with Malayalam news channel BIG TV. The cyber police of Kochi city registered the case against Kurup on Monday based on a complaint from Abdul Hakeem, a resident of Kasaragod.

According to the FIR, she faces charges of provocation to cause riots, outraging religious feelings, uttering words intended to hurt religious sentiments and making statements promoting enmity/hatred between groups.

The TV news programme took place on August 31 and involved a debate on Kanthapuram’s remarks on women. Referring to Kanthapuram’s reservation against Muslim women mingling with men at public places, Kurup said there are religious leaders “who consider men having extramarital sex, consuming ganja and MDMA (synthetic drug), as the sunnath in kithab (the Quran)”. Sunnat refers to approval in Islam.

The remarks triggered protests from various quarters, prompting Kurup to apologise.

“In the discussions held on gender inequality towards women, certain statements should have been avoided. If those statements have hurt anyone’s religious sentiments or belief, an unconditional apology is tendered,” she said on September 1. BIG TV also announced that clips with the remarks had been removed from its social media platforms.

Before she was booked, Kurup had complained against social commentator Dr Abdulla Basil CP, who had taken part in a BIG TV programme on the Kanthapuram controversy. Kurup complained that Basil, through his social media posts and messages, had hurt her reputation and dignity.

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Based on Kurup’s complaint, the city cyber police on September 5 booked Basil under sections dealing with riots, criminal intimidation and circulating rumours or statements promoting enmity (353) and provisions of the Information Technology Act.

But the police action against Basil left several Muslim organisations — including MLAs of the Indian Union Muslim League — outraged. Openly coming out against the police action, MLA Najeeb Kanthapuram said, “It was condemnable that a case has been registered against Dr Abdulla Basil for speaking out against communal remarks and exposing those who propagate communalism. If the intention is to use the law to harass someone who has openly opposed communal positions, it cannot be accepted.”

Following protests by Muslim organisations, police did not take any further action on the FIR.