‘Kauminte Kutti’ row erupts in Kozhikode election campaign, echoes ‘Kafir Screenshot’ controversy
A political controversy has emerged in Kozhikode district following allegations of divisive campaign in the Perambra assembly constituency.
A political controversy has emerged in Kozhikode district following allegations of divisive campaign in the Perambra assembly constituency.
A political controversy has emerged in Kozhikode district following allegations of divisive campaign in the Perambra assembly constituency.
Kozhikode: A political controversy has emerged in Kozhikode district following allegations of a divisive campaign in the Perambra assembly constituency.
The issue, reminiscent of the earlier “Kafir screenshot” row in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency in 2024, has now resurfaced in a different form with a dispute over the use of the phrase “Kauminte Kutti” in a campaign (The word Kaum in Arabic means tribe, which simply refers to people of prophet or People belonging to Islam).
The United Democratic Front (UDF) has filed a complaint alleging that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is using a campaign vehicle to spread claims that the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a UDF ally, is seeking votes by projecting its candidate Fathima Thahiliya as “Kauminte Kutti.” The complaint has been submitted to the police along with visuals purportedly showing the campaign vehicle making the announcement.
A local resident, Salil, told the media that he recorded the visuals at Madathil Mukku near Avala in Perambra. According to him, he began following the vehicle after accidentally hearing what he described as controversial content being broadcast through its announcement system.
Sitting MLA and LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan is the main opponent of Fathima Thahiliya in the assembly election.
The election committee chairman of UDF, K Balanarayanan, has lodged a complaint with the district collector of Kozhikode and the state election commission, while KSU's state general secretary Arjun Kattayatt filed a complaint with the DGP.
Weeks before the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, a social media post had emerged in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency. The post, based on a screenshot of a WhatsApp message, was attributed to Muhammad Khasim P, the Kozhikode District Secretary of the Muslim Students' Federation (MSF). It stated “Shafi is a pious young man who offers namaz five times a day, and the other is a non-Muslim ‘Kafir’ female candidate. Who should we vote for... let us think.” This referred to the contest between CPM's K K Shailaja and Congress's Shafi Parambil in the constituency, where Shafi eventually won by 1,14,506 votes.
The post was widely circulated by left leaders and supporters, including CPM MLA, K K Lathika and pro-left Facebook and WhatsApp groups, and soon it turned the entire election campaign in the constituency into a contentious affair filled with allegations of communalism and hatred. Local CPM leader P Bhaskaran Master had approached Vadakara police regarding the post, and a case was registered against Muhammed Khasim based on the complaint. Following this, Muhammed Kasim and MSF leadership demanded a police investigation to identify the conspirators behind the campaign, while the Indian Union Muslim League alleged that the CPM masterminded the entire scheme.
During the preliminary investigation, police found that Muhammed Kasim had no role in the post. Later, a detailed report submitted by the police to the Kerala High Court revealed that the pro-left cyber groups were behind the ‘Kafir Screenshot’.
K C Venugopal, AICC general secretary, said that the communal “Kafir” propaganda that failed in Vadakara is now re-emerging in a more dangerous form through another campaign describing the UDF candidate as “a child of our Kaum.” Just as secular and democratic forces crushed the “Kafir” propaganda in Vadakara, secular Kerala will defeat this as well, he said.
“Those who falsely claim to uphold secularism, and those who pretend to be champions of women’s safety—why are you targeting this young woman in such a manner?” he asked. “Like a bull enraged at the sight of red, fear of defeat has unsettled the CPM,” Venugopal added.
He stated that the CPM’s campaign against Thahliya violates the election code of conduct and democratic norms. “It is a criminal offence, and we hope the Election Commission will take appropriate action. We are not afraid of the election, nor are we worried about the result. But the damage you are inflicting on secular Kerala—that is what concerns us,” he said.