Journalist Lawfare

Days after BIG TV journalist Aparna Kurup approached the police over death threats and sustained cyberbullying following a television debate on women’s rights, she has now been booked by the Kochi Cyber Crime Police over remarks she made during the same show.

The FIR was registered on Monday, September 7, against Aparna, a senior coordinating editor and news anchor with BIG TV, following a complaint by Abdul Hakeem B M, a resident of Kasaragod. She has been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Kerala Police Act.

The FIR lists Sections 192 (provocation to riot), 299 (outraging religious feelings), 302 (wounding religious feelings) and 353(2) (promoting enmity) of the BNS, along with Section 120(o) (causing nuisance) of the Kerala Police Act. However, its concluding portion refers to Section 351(1) (criminal intimidation) instead of Section 353(2).

The case relates to remarks Aparna made while discussing statements by Sunni Muslim cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar that women should not share public platforms with unrelated men and should stay away from such public spaces.