Lt Col Niranjan Kumar's death: Kerala police arrest Anwar Sadhik from Malappuram on sedition charges

The Kerala Police have arrested 24-year-old Anwar Sadhik for allegedly posting insenstive and insulting comments on Facebook over the death of Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Kumar, who was killed in a grenade blast in Pathankot on Sunday, 3 January.

It is understood that Anwar was arrested by the Malappuram police under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code at around 1:30 am on Tuesday over a popular daily's complaint as he had claimed to be a journalist working with Madhyamam Daily on the controversial Facebook profile, which looks like a fake account.

"So, another troublemaker is also gone. Now government will pay and give a job to his wife and we commoners get nothing. Such a stinking Indian democracy, (sic)" reads the Malayalam comment by Anwar. Soon after the comment went viral, he was attacked by many netizens for posting such an insensitive message on social media.

Read more: Netizens insult Lt Col Niranjan Kumar as nation pays homage to late NSG officer

As per details available on the Facebook profile with the username Anu Anwar, the 24-year-old had studied in IKTHS in Cherukulamba and PMSAMHS in Chemmankadvu, and was working with Madhyamam Daily.

However, Madhyamam Daily has denied having Anwar as its employee and investigators have claimed the man is a salesman at a ration shop in Malappuram.

Kerala industrial training institute (ITI) to be named after Pathankot martyr Lt Col Niranjan Kumar 

"He is a salesman at a ration shop and has nothing to do with Madhyamam Daily. He had mentioned the newspaper's name in that profile just to sound credible. He says he posted those comments with no vicious intent, and that he did not realise it could backfire. Only further investigation will prove a hidden agenda, if any," Circle Inspector Santhosh PK told The News Minute.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of Niranjan, who was with the NSG's bomb detection squad, will be laid to rest at his hometown Elambulassery in Palakkad, Kerala, on Tuesday. Thousands of people, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kerala CM Oommen Chandy, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and many other politicians have paid tribute to the martyr of the Pathankot attack.