Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons Sunday wrote to the Kerala DGP complaining that some miscreants circulated his photograph at the CRPF jawan's funeral as a "selfie".

In the letter, the minister said he was attending the last rites of Vasantha Kumar at Wynad on February 16.

"Some person had taken my photographs standing near the coffin. 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," he wrote.

Alleging that it was both "uncharitable", "unbecoming and illegal" to spread false news regarding a sensitive issue involving a jawan who laid down his life for the nation, the minister said the culprits should be booked.

"Unless these vicious criminal vultures are brought to book the integrity of the country and society will be at stake," he wrote, requesting appropriate action against the culprits.

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