Kerala Police indict social media influencer Darren for ‘communally divisive hate speech’ on Instagram

Representational image. | Photo Credit: REUTERS The Kerala Police on Saturday (October 24, 2026) registered a case against social media influencer Amrit Singh Darren on the charge of creating enmity between different religious communities by seeking to other Muslims in Kochi on his Instagram handle, “Litichokup”.Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, P. Vijayan told The Hindu that the 10-minute video sought to portray the Muslim population in Fort Kochi as a national threat.“The social media post prima facie reveals an attempt to create enmity between communities. The offence attracts the provisions of Section 196 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. It also violates sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. I have directed the Commissioner of Police, Kochi, to register a case immediately,” he said.‘Dangerous situation’Mr. Darren also criticised the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government for “accepting funding from Arab countries to aid promote Islam” in Keralam. The influencer singled out Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala for reproof, accusing him of standing passively as the “dangerous situation” in Keralam seemed to “slip out of our hands” unless the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led “Central government intervened”.Diya Krishna, another social media influencer and daughter of BJP leader and chairperson of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), G. Krishnakumar, seemed to second the contentious and communally schismatic Instagram content by stating: “Sad Reality”.Ms. Krishna was not immediately available to comment. Nevertheless, after the Instagram post provoked outrage in Keralam, Ms. Krishna posted on Instagram that she had not appreciated Mr. Darren’s full post and that her comment pertained to the influencer’s first few remarks.Gandhi and JinnahIn the first part of the video, Mr. Darren objects to the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi juxtaposed with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder and first Prime Minister of Pakistan, at Kashi Art Cafe, a popular eatery in Fort Kochi. He said Jinnah had no place in India, and his portrait in the restaurant was an affront to national pride.Mr. Darren said he had entered the restaurant, noticed the Kashi branding, and blamed the management for serving beef. He said the management should rename the joint Karachi Art Cafe rather than use the name of the ancient city Hindus consider holy. Mr. Darren also seeks to portray Kochi as overwhelmingly Islamic, despite the Union Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India website portraying Kochi as a historically important city sculpted over the centuries by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian cultural influences.‘Latest attempt’Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) national president A.A. Rahim, MP, told The Hindu that Mr. Darren’s post was the latest in a series of attempts to demonise Keralam, erode its religious harmony, and inject identitarian politics into a secular polity, where Christians and Muslims, among others, make up 45% of the population. He said the Sangh Parivar had bankrolled a similar attempt in 2023, when the BJP-led Central government promoted the communally inflammatory and slanderous film Kerala Story, which sought to portray Keralam as a fertile recruiting ground for Islamists. Published - October 24, 2026 06:35 pm IST