Kerala politicians stand by actor Mammootty facing online harassment, call him state's pride
Thiruvananthapuram, May 16: Politicians from the Left and the Congress party in Kerala have rallied behind Malayalam superstar Mammootty who is facing online harassment from certain right wing sympathisers in connection with one of his movies that had been released two years ago.
The controversy erupted after posts on on social media platforms claimed that the movie 'Puzhu' released in 2022 was an anti-Brahmanical one.
Some of them even used Mammootty's birth name, Muhammed Kutty, to criticise the national award-winning actor in connection with the film, which was a psychological drama directed by debutant filmmaker Ratheena P T.
The row erupted following a recent interview given by the woman director's husband to an online channel in which he claimed that the movie was against a particular community and criticised Mammootty over doing the film.
Rubbishing the social media campaign against the legendary actor, several persons including state Ministers V Sivankutty and K Rajan and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal came out in support of Mammootty.
Senior CPI (M) leader and General Education Minister V Sivankutty put up a Facebook post sharing a photo of of him with the actor, who has won three national awards, among many other recognitions.
"Mammootty is Malayalees' pride," the minister said in the FB post.
CPI leader and Revenue Minister K Rajan also described Mammootty as the "Pride of Kerala and Malayalees".
The minister alleged that "Sangh Parivar politics" was behind such campaigns and said that such propaganda would not reap its desired results in the state.
"This is Kerala," he pointed out to those behind the campaign. Recalling a similar campaign unleashed against eminent director Kamal some time ago, the minister said the "the Sanghi politics of calling Mammootty as Mohammed Kutty, Kamal as Kamaluddin and Vijay as Joseph Vijay (top Tamil film star who has a large fan following in Kerala) will not reap any result here."
Sharing similar views, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal also strongly supported Mammootty and said the secular society of the state would not support such propaganda.
He said no matter how hard they try to brand a person who has clear political views and acting skills, the people of the state won't support them.
In an FB post, the Congress leader further said that it is the duty of Kerala society to take care of the actor without being affected by the "poison of hate campaigns".
A person like Mammootty cannot be confined to the compartments of religion and caste, he said, adding that vested interests are doing so with a clear political agenda.
"Mammootty is being Mohammed Kutty only in the contemptuous minds of those hate campaigners," the leader added.
The actor is yet to react to the controversy.
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UP: Man arrested for involvement in gang manufacturing forged Aadhaar cards
Sant Kabir Nagar (UP) (PTI): The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a man here for his alleged involvement in a gang manufacturing forged Aadhaar cards, officials said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Vinod Kumar Vishwakarma, a resident of Naurangiya village, was apprehended late Wednesday evening from a shop in the Sabzi Mandi locality under the Khalilabad Kotwali police station area.
The arrest follows a wider investigation into a fake Aadhaar card racket unearthed by the Lucknow ATS in August 2025. Several arrests had been made at that time across various districts, including Gorakhpur.
During the ongoing probe, Vishwakarma's name surfaced for allegedly providing technical assistance to the syndicate. An ATS team led by Inspector Kuldeep Singh, with the assistance of local Kotwali police, conducted a raid at his shop and took him into custody.
The ATS recovered a laptop, a mobile phone, and several incriminating documents from the spot.
Station House Officer of Khalilabad police station, Jai Prakash Dubey, said the ATS team conducted a preliminary inquiry at the local police station before leaving for Lucknow with the accused for further interrogation.
