Kozhikode: In a significant development in the controversial "Kafir Screenshot" case that rocked the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign in Vadakara, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has removed MSF Kozhikode district leader Mohammed Kasim from the list of accused after concluding that he had no role in creating or circulating the fabricated message. The decision is widely seen as a major setback to the CPM, which had projected the screenshot as evidence of an alleged communal campaign by the UDF and Muslim League during the election.

The SIT submitted a report before the Principal Sessions Court, Kozhikode, dropping Kasim from the case after a detailed forensic examination of his three mobile phones found that the controversial WhatsApp message had not originated from any of his devices. Investigators also established that the WhatsApp group shown in the widely circulated screenshot never existed, effectively demolishing the authenticity of the image that had triggered the political controversy.

The fabricated screenshot, circulated on the eve of polling in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, falsely attributed a message to Mohammed Kasim referring to then LDF candidate K K Shailaja as a "Kafir" while appealing for votes in favour of UDF candidate Shafi Parambil. The screenshot was extensively shared through CPM leaders' social media accounts and WhatsApp groups, with the Left alleging that the UDF was attempting to polarise Muslim voters on religious lines.

Acting on a complaint filed by C Bhaskaran, treasurer of the LDF election committee, the Vadakara police had registered a case against Kasim on the very night the screenshot surfaced. Subsequently, the Youth League filed a separate complaint alleging that the screenshot itself had been fabricated. Both cases were later investigated together.

Even during the initial police investigation, there were indications that Kasim had no involvement in creating the message. When Kasim approached the Kerala High Court seeking relief, the police informed the court that there was no evidence linking him to the creation of the screenshot. Despite this, he continued to remain an accused in the case.

After the SIT took over the investigation, it reportedly concluded at an early stage itself—based on evidence already collected during the earlier probe—that Kasim had no role in the conspiracy. The formal decision to remove him from the list of accused came after scientific examination corroborated those findings, bringing to an end nearly two years of legal proceedings against him.

The investigation has since taken a dramatically different course. The SIT arrested DYFI leader Jithin Bhaskar, a DYFI Block Committee member and CPM Thuruthi Local Committee member, after concluding that he allegedly created the fake screenshot. Investigators have also accused him of resetting his mobile phone in an attempt to destroy digital evidence and are expected to seek court permission for further forensic examination of the device.

Jithin's arrest followed statements reportedly made by CPM local leader Ribesh Ramakrishnan, who is understood to have told investigators that Jithin had shared the fabricated screenshot in a CPM workers' WhatsApp group named "Vadakara Squad," where he allegedly served as admin. The principal sessions court in Kozhikode is expected to continue hearing on Jithin's bail application on Friday after examining the case diary.

The SIT's conclusion that the person initially accused had no role in the alleged offence, coupled with the arrest of a CPM functionary in connection with the creation of the fabricated screenshot, is likely to intensify political debate over the manner in which the issue was used during the election campaign.