Union Minister KJ Alphons draws flak over his ‘selfie’ at CRPF jawan's funeral

New Delhi, Feb 18: Days after Union Minister KJ Alphons' 'selfie' at a Pulwama martyr's funeral in Kerala's Wayanad went viral, the Tourism Minister on Monday wrote to the Kerala DGP complaining that some miscreants circulated his photograph at the CRPF jawan's funeral as a "selfie".

"Some person had taken my photographs standing near the coffin. My media secretary had put the same on my Facebook. Alleging that the photograph was a selfie taken by me, some miscreants had spread false news against me in the social media. The act of those miscreants reduced my reputation in the public, which is an offence punishable under the provisions of Indian Penal Code," he wrote. "Unless these vicious criminal vultures are brought to book the integrity of the country and society will be at stake," he wrote, requesting appropriate action against the culprits.

The Union Minister attended the funeral ceremony of jawan Vasantha Kumar VV at his house in Kerala's Wayanad district on Saturday. Vasantha was one of the 40 CRPF soldiers who lost their lives in the Pulwama suicide bombing on Thursday (February 14).

Soon after his 'selfie' surfaced on social media, KJ Alphons received massive flak for his insensitive nature of photograph.

As many as 40 CRPF personnel were killed and five injured on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.