K. Surendran, the Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party chief, on Saturday, claimed that Khaled Mashal, a leader of Hamas, had participated virtually in a protest event organized by an Islamist group in the state, opposing Israel's conflict with the militant organization.

In a Facebook post, Surendran claimed Mashal's participation in the event organised by the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, on Friday.

Displaying a poster featuring Mashal's participation in the event organized by the district chapter of the Movement in Malappuram, the BJP leader emphasized that the situation in historically secular Kerala had declined to such a degree.

"Terrorist leaders of Hamas themselves take part in events (in the state). It was virtual participation only because he didn't obtain a visa. The organisers' intentions were evident...," Surendran reportedly said.

The BJP leader called for both the Kerala police and central agencies to conduct a more extensive investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Suhaib C T, the state president of the Solidarity Youth Movement, defended the virtual participation of the Hamas leader.

"He took part in our programme organised to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to condemn the onslaught by Israel. No need to see anything unusual in that," he told PTI.

He mentioned that Hamas is neither an active organization in India nor a banned outfit, so his participation does not constitute a legal violation. Suhaib also stated that there would be many more solidarity events in India to demonstrate the support of Indians for the Palestinian people.