THRISSUR: Seven people, including principal and student editor of the Government Polytechnic College, Kunnamkulam, were charged on Tuesday for placing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a list of the world's most 'negative faces' in college magazine.

None of them has been arrested.

The magazine titled 'Litsokniga' carried Modi's photograph along with Nazi party leader Adolf Hitler, former US president George Bush, former Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, terrorist Ajmal Kasab, LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, sandalwood smuggler Veerappan and others in a category 'negative faces'. The 50-page magazine is an extended 'Facebook Wall' and 'negative faces' is one of the pages where 'dreadful personalities' are featured.

The case was registered under IPC Sections 120 (concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment), 153 (indulge in wanton vilification or attacks), 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian penal code. These are bailable offences.

The accused are M N Krishnankutty, principal and chief editor; Gopi, staff editor; Praveen C S, student editor; Nikhil P R, sub-editor; Jisman James, sub-editor; Shyam K M, sub-editor, and proprietor of Presto Designers, where the magazine was typeset.

According to Vijayakumar N, district police chief, Thrissur (rural), the magazine was printed in February, 2014 but was distributed to students only in the first week of June. "Police will investigate the motive behind publishing Modi's picture along with that of bin Laden and others," said the cop.

The police registered a case on Tuesday after a BJP sympathizer filed a complaint. Praveen C S, student editor, dismissed the case as a political gimmick. "We didn't have any motive to malign the prime minister. When we decided the content in mid-2013, majority of the media and activists were against Modi in the backdrop of 2002 riots in Gujarat," he said.

The college has authorities have decided to withdraw the magazine and take action against the students. The accused principal was transferred before the magazine row broke.

BJP state president V Muraleedharan urged the state government to take appropriate action against the wrong-doers and the party activists took out a protest march in Thrissur. BJP Thrissur district president A Nagesh said the magazine was brought out by the college union and editorial board controlled by the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of CPI(M).