Twelve leaders of the Muslim Youth League (MYL), the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, have been booked by the Ernakulam Central Police in Kochi after a rally held as part of the organisation's state conference allegedly caused major traffic disruption in the city on Sunday, Mirror Now reported.

Source: Mirror Now

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the procession, organised by the MYL State Committee, began at Goshree Junction in Bolgatty at around 4 p.m. on Sunday. An estimated 2,000 participants marched towards the Kerala High Court Junction and reached the Marine Drive area by about 5:30 p.m. Police allege the crowd substantially obstructed movement along Shanmukham Road near the High Court, affecting both motorists and pedestrians. City authorities had arranged traffic diversions in advance of the rally, police said.

Those named in the FIR include MYL state president Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal, MLA Fathima Thahiliya, state general secretary and MLA P.K. Firoz, treasurer P. Ismayil, vice-presidents Mujeeb Kaderi, Faisal Bafaqui Thangal, Ashraf Edaneer and K.A. Mahin, and secretaries C.K. Muhammadali, Naseer Karyara, Gafoor Kolkkalathil and T.P.M. Jishan.

12MYL leaders named in the FIR
~2,000Estimated participants in Sunday's procession
4 p.m.Procession start at Goshree Junction, per the FIR
2011Kerala Public Ways Act under which the case was also filed

The case has been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Kerala Public Ways (Restriction of Assemblies and Procession) Act, 2011, which regulates gatherings on public roads. Police said the investigation is ongoing and that they are reviewing the circumstances of the disruption.

The MYL has pushed back against the case. State secretary T.P.M. Jishan, who is himself among the 12 named, told MediaOne that the case against Thangal and the other leaders was an attempt to defame the Home Department and the Muslim League — a claim the police have not publicly answered in the reporting so far.

Source: MediaOne

Being named in an FIR is an allegation, not a conviction, and the leaders are entitled to the presumption of innocence. No arrests were reported in connection with the case.