Kochi: A political and legal storm has erupted in Kerala after a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was registered against Advocate Anil Vilayil, with the Hindu Aikya Vedi and BJP leaders alleging a “witch-hunt” against those opposing child marriage.
Hindu Aikya Vedi state president RV Babu has termed the case a “pre-planned conspiracy,” asserting that the complaint was deliberately engineered to implicate Hindu leaders who had raised concerns over a controversial inter-state marriage involving a minor girl from Madhya Pradesh.
“This is a calculated move with the help of the state administration to silence and imprison those who take a stand against extremist forces,” Babu said, alleging that Kerala’s ruling establishment is enabling such actions.
“Fabricated Case to Silence Dissent,” Say Leaders
According to the organisation, the girl’s complaint—later recorded before a magistrate in Ernakulam—has been used as the basis to target multiple Hindu activists. They claim that the sequence of events, including police action by the Ernakulam Central Police, points to a “carefully crafted fabrication.”
Leaders associated with the BJP, Hindu Aikyavedi, Vishwa Hindu Parishad said that this is not an isolated incident but part of a recurring pattern in Kerala, where individuals raising concerns over “Love Jihad” are allegedly framed in serious criminal cases.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad and Anil Vilayil had publicly questioned the age of the girl soon after the marriage of the 16-year-old “Mahakumbh viral girl” to an adult Muslim man, Farman Khan. The marriage was solemnised in Thiruvananthapuram in the presence of senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders, including then Education Minister V Sivankutty, Rajya Sabha MP AA Rahim, and party secretary MV Govindan.
Subsequently, it was alleged by supporters that documents such as Aadhaar and PAN cards submitted to establish the girl’s age were fabricated.
The girl’s parents later registered a complaint at a police station in Madhya Pradesh. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes also directed authorities to initiate action against the husband, Farman Khan, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), citing concerns that the birth certificate presented by the couple was not genuine.
They argue that instead of addressing these concerns, the system has turned against those who brought them to light.
Pattern Alleged, Past Cases Cited
The Hindu Aikya Vedi has pointed to earlier cases in Malappuram involving Padmarajan Master and Jayachandran Master, alleging a similar pattern where Hindu leaders were “falsely implicated and jailed.”
“This is a repeated template—frame, arrest, and silence,” Hindu Aikya Vedi leader RV Babu said, adding that the organisation sees a “clear ideological motive” behind such actions.
The organisation has accused the then ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) of providing tacit support to such developments. It alleged that elements within the state machinery were working in alignment with what it termed a “larger agenda” to suppress Hindu activism.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi has announced plans for statewide protests, warning that it will not remain silent in the face of what it calls “systematic targeting.”
“We will fight this legally and democratically. Attempts to crush Hindu voices will be resisted strongly,” Babu said.
