Malappuram (Kerala) | The Muslim Youth League, the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), lodged a complaint with the police on Monday seeking action against Left MLA K T Jaleel for his controversial statement linking gold smuggling through Karipur airport to the Muslim community.

A Youth League leader said that its Tirurangadi constituency committee lodged the complaint with the District Police Chief, demanding that a case be registered against Jaleel, alleging that he made the remark with the intent to incite religious discord.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan stated that no community can be linked to smuggling, but indirectly backed Jaleel by saying that community leaders have the responsibility to correct the belief among some people that smuggling is not a crime.

Jaleel sparked controversy on Sunday by saying that most individuals involved in gold smuggling through the international airport in Malappuram district are from the Muslim community, drawing sharp reactions from the IUML and dissident legislator P V Anvar.

In a detailed Facebook post, the ruling MLA said that a significant percentage of Muslims involved in crimes such as gold smuggling and hawala believe that none of these activities are "irreligious." He also called for the intervention of community leaders to create awareness among members involved in such crimes.

Meanwhile, Muslim Youth League workers took out a march towards the office of the Malappuram district police chief on Monday, alleging a deliberate attempt to brand the Muslim-majority district as a centre of criminal activities.

The police used water cannons to disperse the protesters