A soldier was recently arrested in Kollam for making ‘fabricated claims’ that he was assaulted by six persons who scribbled the letters ‘PFI’ (abbreviation for the banned organisation, Popular Front of India) on his back.

“This is a North Indian model. They spread fake information about a person being viciously beaten. It gets support from the public. BJP organised a rally in Kollam after the news was broken. It was a deliberate attempt to incite a riot. When the soldier was taken into custody, all stopped talking about it,” Govindan said.

He also slammed the media for reporting the complaint of the soldier. “You should investigate the truth. Are you agencies that report whatever claims someone makes?” he asked.

Govindan equated the incident with the allegations of bribery against staff of minister Veena George.

“Investigation is ongoing concerning the allegations. The minister’s office promptly alerted police officers after receiving the complaint. Let the investigation take its course,” he said.