Kerala police on Friday registered a case against organisers of a Janmashtami procession in Kannur district after a photograph of a three-year-old child, dressed as Lord Krishna, being tied to a peepal leaf model mounted on a moving vehicle created an outrage on social media.
Sreekanth Usha Prabhakaran posted the child’s picture on Facebook on Tuesday and said he was initially under the impression that the child, tired and his eyes closed, was statue. “It was only after some time that I saw the child moving his legs and hands. His hip appeared to be tied on the leaf (model),” he said in his Facebook post.
Prabhakaran said he received lukewarm response when he called up the Child Line helpline number. But, later he received a call saying that they had informed the police about the matter.
According to a report by The Indian Express,the Payyannur police on Friday registered a case under the Juvenile Justice Act against the event organisers, Vivekananda Seva Samithi, known to have links with the Sangh Parivar.
According to the report, the police said they have not registered a case against the child’s parents, who have not been traced so far.
Earlier, the Janmashatami in Kerala had triggered a controversy in the state as the Sangh Parivar organisations and CPI(M) affiliated cultural organisations had organised rival processions to mark Sree Krishna Jayanti. The police were on high alert in view of the confrontational posturingby the two sides.
While Sangh Parivar accused CPI(M) of attempts to disrupt the annual Shobha Yatra, the CPI(M) alleged that the Shobha Yatras were being organised to instill communal hatred.