Alappuzha: Amid the ongoing controversy over an eatery's Vishu advertisement depicting Lord Krishna alongside ‘Kuzhimandhi’, a non-vegetarian dish, the Cherthala Police on Saturday registered two fresh cases, one against five individuals for repeatedly circulating the poster to allegedly create communal tension, and another against a man for creating a poster showing a Muslim person eating pork in front of a mosque.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the ABVP conducted a march to the restaurant Mehr, protesting the contents of the Vishu poster. 

In the first FIR, a case has been registered against Asha Mukesh, Biju M Velayudhan, Govind Prabhakaran Nair, Saravana Raj and Rejimon, all natives of Alappuzha, under Section 192 (maliciously or wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the Cherthala SHO, the FIR was registered after it came to notice that the advertisement, which had been withdrawn by the restaurant, was being repeatedly circulated. The FIR states that the accused shared the poster multiple times on social media platforms between April 15 and 5.30 am on April 18. This was established using screenshots of URLs from posts shared across platforms.

In the second FIR, a case has been registered against Ratheesh Panicker, a native of Alappuzha, under Section 192 of the BNS for allegedly creating and promoting a poster depicting a Muslim individual eating pork in front of a mosque with the message “Happy Ramadan” and the caption ‘Mehrinte Ramadan Ashamsakal’. The poster was circulated on social media from 7.13 pm on Friday.

The SHO said the poster came to police attention on Friday and that further investigation would determine the intent behind its circulation. No arrests were made so far in either case, he added.

Meanwhile, two owners of Mehr restaurant were arrested and later released on station bail on Friday in connection with the first Vishu advertisement. The accused were identified as Arshad (36) and Shamnas (30), natives of Cherthala and managing partners of Mehr Mandi & Grills, a restaurant known for Arabic cuisine. They have also been booked under Section 192 of the BNS.

According to the FIR, the accused allegedly posted a Vishu greeting online, reading, “Happy Vishu – Mehr’s Vishu wishes to everyone,” accompanied by an image of kuzhimandhi (a non-vegetarian dish) placed in front of Lord Sree Krishna. The complaint states that the post was intended to hurt the sentiments of Hindu believers and disturb public peace. It was reportedly shared via WhatsApp status from the early hours of April 15, the day of Vishu.

The complaint was filed by Dini AP, who alleged the act was deliberate and provocative.

Following the controversy, another managing partner, Shameer, issued a clarification on social media expressing regret. He said the post was originally created as a festive greeting and was withdrawn internally after concerns were raised. However, he claimed that a member of a common group who had seen the draft poster during discussions shared it due to a misunderstanding.