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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India - Rajeev Chandrashekhar, the nation's deputy minister of information technology, is the subject of an investigation by Kerala police for reportedly inciting religious intolerance on social media following a recent bombing at a Jehovah's Witness convention.
About 50 people were reportedly injured and three died after homemade explosives exploded at the event in Kochi on Sunday. When the attack happened, more than 2,000 followers of the Christian faith were gathered for the three-day celebration.
Chandrashekhar denounced the incident on social media hours after the explosions. Nevertheless, he continued in his posts to charge the ruling Communist Party of Kerala of supplying extreme organizations such as Hamas, the armed Palestinian party. The minister used hashtags that suggested the Kerala government approved of rallies against Israel and made references to former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala, refuted the accusations and claimed the Hindu nationalist party intended to disrupt the state's multireligious society. One suspect was detained by police after he made bombing claims in a video and referenced Jehovah's Witnesses anti-national views.
Investigations are underway to determine whether Chandrashekhar's divisive remarks broke any laws prohibiting religious intolerance. According to the deputy minister's office, the criminal complaint filed by the Kerala police would be handled by his attorney.
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