Fresh Vishu ad row in Kerala: Restaurant owners arrested over Lord Krishna meat dish poster

KOZHIKODE: On the heels of a row in Alappuzha, another Vishu advertisement has stirred a controversy, this time in Malappuram. Police have arrested the owners of a restaurant in Tirurkad for allegedly using an image of Lord Krishna alongside the meat-based dish ‘kuzhimanthi' in a Vishu greeting poster shared on social media. Those arrested include Musthafa Kunduvayil and Shahul Hameed, owners of Yamama Shawaya at Orodampalam near Tirurkad, and Mohammed Shahin, who manages the restaurant's social media account. They have been charged under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for acts allegedly intended to provoke unrest. According to police, a suo motu case was registered by Mankada police after they noticed the Vishu greeting post on Saturday. The post featured the kuzhimanthi dish placed alongside the image of Lord Krishna, with the tagline: "Serving the Prosperity of Taste". The accused were summoned to Mankada police station, where their arrest was formally recorded before they were released on bail.