Case registered over ‘I love Pakistan’ message found on vessel being built at Cochin Shipyard

The Ernakulam Town South police on Saturday (June 20, 2026) registered a case over finding a message reading ‘I Love Pakistan’ engraved inside a vessel being built at the Cochin Shipyard here. The case was registered on a complaint lodged by Central Industrial Security Force officials at the shipyard.

A first information report (FIR) was registered under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which punishes “acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India”.

The alleged pro-Pakistan message was found etched on the wall of a service operation ship being built for a UK-based shipping company, according to the FIR. The message was found sometime between February 25, 2026, and June 10, 2026, the FIR said.

The police registered the case after a preliminary inquiry during which the statements of over 150 employees of the shipyard were recorded, a police officer said. “The employees who may have access to the ship have been questioned, and we are collecting all possible scientific evidence,” the officer added.

The shipyard has not commented on the matter yet.