: A photographer’s studio at Taliparamba was set ablaze in the early hours of Saturday, in an alleged attack for certain views on religion that he had expressed in the social media.

The studio of photographer Rafeeque Taliparamba on the first floor of a building at Taliparamba was set ablaze around 2 a.m.

The incident was in the wake of an alleged derogatory campaign against him through the social media, over his comments critical of certain practices in Islam. Cameras and equipment as also the furniture in the studio, estimated to cost Rs.7 lakh, were completely destroyed in the fire.

The Taliparamba police said an investigation was on. The studio owner’s complaint said messages such as threats against him had been circulating in the social media over the past few days following his alleged critical remarks about the purdah custom in a Whatsapp group.

When contacted, Mr. Rafeeque said he was a member of a WhatsApp group created for discussing issues to learn more about Islam. Some of his comments critical of certain practices, including purdah, had been circulated through WhatsApp and Facebook to personally malign him, he said, adding there were also threats that he would be ostracised for his remarks.