Kochi, May 31 : The Kochi Police on Tuesday arrested from Coimbatore the man who uploaded a fake video of Joe Joseph, the CPI-M candidate for Thrikkakara Assembly bypoll.
The arrested was identified as Abdul Latheef, a resident of Kottakal in Malappurram district, and a supporter of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), police said.
The fake video had surfaced when the campaigning for the bypoll was at its peak with the CPI-M alleging that the Congress was behind it.
Latheef was arrested on Tuesday, when the voting was underway for the bypoll.Preliminary probe pointed out that he did not belong to the Congress but was a supporter of the IUML.
Reacting to the arrest, Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan said the timing of the arrest says it all.”The police and the CPI-M are hand in glove and the timing of the arrest is enough to prove that this is nothing but a drama, scripted by the party itself, he alleged.”
Meanwhile, CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan termed the incident an “extremely” bad.”We are going to win despite the Congress trying its best to stop us.We are going to come out with flying colours,” a confident Balakrishnan said.
PMA Salam, the IUML general secretary said that detailed inquiries revealed that Latheef has no links with the IUML at all.
“The CPI-M for a while has been on the lookout for someone and when they got one, they now say he is an IUML person.The arrested man is in no way associated with us.The CPI-M knows they are fighting a losing battle and have tried all tactics to win.This was their last attempt.The electorate at Thrikkakara know it all and we are going to win hands down,” said Salam.
Counting of votes for the bypoll, in which 75 per cent turnout is expected, will take place on Friday.
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