Union minister KJ Alphons on Sunday wrote to Kerala’s police chief, alleging that some people were spreading false news online about a photo of his taken at the funeral of a Central Reserve Police Force jawan who was killed in last week’s militant strike in Jammu and Kashmir, PTI reported. It was being called a “selfie” even though it was not, he claimed.

The jawan, Vazhakkandiyil Vasanthakumar, was one of 40 personnel who were killed in the Pulwama attack. The tourism minister said the photo was taken in Wayanad district on February 16.

“Some person had taken my photographs standing near the coffin,” Alphons said. “My media secretary had put the same on my Facebook. Alleging that the photograph was a selfie taken by me, some miscreants had spread false news against me in the social media. The act of those miscreants reduced my reputation in the public, which is an offence punishable under the provisions of Indian Penal Code.”

Alleging that it was “uncharitable, unbecoming and illegal” to spread false news from the funeral of a jawan, Alphons called for strict action against those responsible. “Unless these vicious criminal vultures are brought to book, the integrity of the country and society will be at stake,” he added.