NEW DELHI — A political controversy has erupted in Kerala after a theme song released for a state conference of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), allegedly featured an image of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan.
The allegation was raised by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which shared screenshots and short clips from the song on social media. SFI leaders claimed the image appeared alongside visuals of MSF founders and senior Muslim League leaders, questioning the inclusion of a foreign political figure in material associated with an Indian student organisation.
SFI state secretary Sanjeev P. S. said in a social media post that Imran Khan had spoken against India and its secular values, and asked why his image should appear in an official song of an Indian student body. The posts quickly gained traction online and were picked up in political circles as MSF’s state conference was under way.
Left activists used the visuals to accuse the student organisation and the IUML of holding views allegedly not aligned with national interests. Supporters of MSF, however, said the attack was politically motivated and aimed at casting suspicion on Indian Muslim students without credible evidence.
Rejecting the allegation, MSF said the controversy stemmed from a technical mistake. The organisation removed the video from its social media platforms and released a revised version, while also announcing plans to approach the police over what it described as a deliberate attempt to defame the group.
MSF state general secretary C. K. Najaf said the image had been wrongly included during AI-assisted video editing by an external agency. “This was not intentional. We see this as foul play and a calculated move to tarnish our reputation,” he said.
MSF leaders stressed that the organisation functions within India’s constitutional, democratic, and secular framework. “Our history, our work, and our students are rooted in this country,” an office-bearer said, adding that Indian Muslim students were once again being subjected to public suspicion over an error that was promptly corrected.
Even as screenshots of the original video continue to circulate online, the episode has reignited debate in Kerala over the political targeting of Muslim organisations, the risks associated with AI-generated content, and the need for restraint in political criticism that does not treat Indian Muslim students as suspects by default.
