Kochi | Hindu Aikya Vedi president R V Babu has been booked for allegedly making defamatory and communally provocative remarks against the Muslim community and its leaders in a social media post, police said on Friday.

Hindu Aikya Vedi (Hindu United Forum) is a Hindutva organisation active in Kerala.

The case was registered by the Thrikkakara police on Thursday, based on a complaint filed by PDP leader Ashraf Vazhakkala.

According to police, Babu posted on social media in the wake of the Kerala government's anti-narcotics drive, Operation Toofan.

In the post, he allegedly claimed that members of the Muslim community were involved in drug trafficking and the narcotics trade and were helping terrorist elements grow in the state, police said.

The FIR alleged that Babu made several statements targeting the Muslim community and Islamic scholars with the intention of defaming them and promoting communal division.

The case has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Kerala Police Act for promoting enmity between different groups, outraging religious feelings, disseminating false information and causing public nuisance.

Police said a notice would be issued to Babu directing him to appear for questioning as part of the investigation.