At a press briefing, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured strict action against the right-wing outfits that vandalised the film set.
Kochi| An FIR has been registered on Monday by the Perumbavoor Police in Kerala and investigation has begun on the vandalizing of a film set by members of a right-wing Hindu group.
Resembling a church, the set was erected by the art team of the Tovino Thomas-starrer ‘Minnal Murali’ on an island on the banks of the Periyar on the outskirts of Kochi was found vandalised.
A leader of a fringe Hindu outfit, on Facebook, claimed the responsibility for vandalisation.
At a press briefing, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan assured strict action against the right-wing outfits.
“Such incidents have no place in Kerala. The film set was built in March that cost lakhs of rupees. But because of nationwide lockdown, the work got suspended. Now, there are reports of Bajrang Dal having vandalised it last evening. This is clearly aimed at provoking religious sentiments. Kerala is not a land where such communal forces can thrive. The government will take strong action. There is no doubt about it.”
“The FIR has been filed though we haven’t added the sections yet. Our officers are probing. We will have more developments in a few hours,” an officer at the Perumbavoor police station said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s government completed four years on Monday.
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The act was announced by Hari Palode, general secretary of the right-wing outfit Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), who confirmed on Facebook that his group along with Bajrang Dal members proceeded to wreck the set purportedly as it stood opposite the Shiva temple at Kalady.
“When they were building it, we had said no. We had submitted complaints. We don’t have a habit of pleading so we decided to demolish it. We have to protect our self-respect,” he wrote in his Facebook post, supplementing photos of the stated act.
The temporary church set, worth lakhs, had been formed in March to shoot the climax scenes of the film which is directed by young filmmaker Basil Joseph.
(Inputs from Indianexpress)
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