Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday ordered a high-level probe into allegations that the state intelligence department was tracking the e-mails of leaders, activists, professionals and journalists from a minority community.A regional newspaper, Madhyamam, recently reported that the police had drawn up a list of 268 persons — 258 from the Muslim community — for surveillance.Besides carrying the details of their names and mail Ids, the report claimed that service providers were approached to get their passwords. It also said it was an attempt to do a religious profiling and show some of them in bad light.
The list included leaders of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), an alliance partner in the Congress-led UDF government. Those who figured were former IUML MPs PV Abdul Wahab and Abdul Samadhani. The IUML has sought a probe into this.
“It is a serious issue. Let the truth come out, we will react in then,” party general secretary KPA Majeed said.