Two restaurant owners were taken into custody by the Cherthala police following a controversy over a Vishu greeting that depicted Lord Sree Krishna as a child alongside a non-vegetarian dish.
The accused, identified as Arshad (36) and Shamnas (30), are managing partners of Mehr Mandi & Grills, an Arabic cuisine restaurant based in Cherthala. The police registered a case against them under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with provocation intended to cause a riot and carries a punishment of up to one year in prison.
The issue stems from a social media post circulated on April 15, the day of Vishu. The greeting, which read, “Happy Vishu – Mehr’s Vishu wishes to everyone,” featured an image of Mandhi rice and chicken placed in front of Lord Krishna. According to the FIR, the post was shared with the intention of hurting religious sentiments and disturbing public peace. The image reportedly spread widely after it was uploaded as a WhatsApp status.
The case was registered based on a complaint filed by advocate MV Biju, a native of Thanneermukkom.
Responding to the backlash, the restaurant owners said the post was not created with deliberate intent. In a video message, one of the owners, Shameer, apologized, saying, “We realized that the first poster we created was not appropriate for publication. We later removed it and replaced it with another. However, the initial poster had already spread widely across the country and turned into a controversy. We did not intend to create any issue or offend any religion.”
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad organized a protest in front of the restaurant on the evening of April 17, intensifying tensions around the incident.