Kerala PFI rally: Father of boy who raised provocative slogans arrested

Alappuzha, May 28: The father of a Kerala boy who allegedly raised provocative slogans at a Popular Front of India, or PFI, rally last week has been detained. Twenty people have been arrested so far in the case.

A short video of a boy sitting on the shoulder of a person during "Save the Republic" rally held by PFI on May 21 here and raising allegedly provocative slogans that went viral on social media.

The provocative sloganeering by the child evoked criticism from various quarters.

Meanwhile, the PFI, in an internal note, which was made available to the media, said such slogans were against the policy of the outfit and would look into the matter.

"We have given approved slogans which were to be raised in the public rally at Alappuzha. Thousands of party workers and others joined the rally protesting against the RSS. The visual of a boy raising slogans came to our notice now. Those slogans were not approved or given by the organisers of the rally. It's not the policy of the organisation to provoke or raise provocative slogans," PFI State secretary C A Raoof, said in the note.

Last year, Alappuzha witnessed back-to-back killings of a State leader of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the PFI, and a State BJP leader within 12 hours.