New Delhi: The police in Kerala have arrested two people on Friday for allegedly sharing a restaurant’s controversial promotional poster for Vishu on WhatsApp platform. The posted showed a young Lord Krishna sitting before a serving of ‘kuzhi manthi’. It is a popular Yemeni-Arabian rice dish, now highly popular in Kerala, having slow-cooked meat (chicken, mutton, or fish) and fragrant rice cooked in a deep underground pit (kuzhi).
Restaurant’s owner issues apology
According to the Cherthala police station, two accused have been booked for the offence under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s section 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and their arrests have been recorded. The FIR states that the accused shared the poster allegedly with the intention of hurting the Hindu community’s religious sentiments.
A Hindu organisation reportedly held a protest march to the restaurant in Cherthala. Following that, the police have taken precautionary measures to thwart any unwanted incident over the issue. The restaurant’s owner has publicly apologised for the incident and has reportedly claimed that a third party made the poster. He blamed the creator’s lack of wisdom for making the controversial image. He added that the restaurant did not use it for any kind of promotion on any social media platform.
Meanwhile, in Uttarakhand, ahead of the Ardh Kumbh Mela scheduled for next year, the Haridwar Municipal Corporation has decided to relocate all meat shops from the city to Sarai village on the outskirts. A decision regarding restaurants and dhabas serving meat will be taken later. The latest resolution is seen as a step to enforce the meat ban more strictly, especially with the upcoming Ardh Kumbh expected to draw lakhs of devotees from across India and abroad. The city municipal corporation also passed a proposal to amend bylaws that already prohibit the sale and consumption of meat, liquor, and eggs within a five‑kilometre radius of Har Ki Pauri.