Thiruvananthapuram | The cyber crime wing of the Kerala police on Wednesday registered a case against unknown persons over a parody song titled 'Pottiye Kettiye', which circulated during the recent local body elections in the state and allegedly "hurt religious sentiments."
The parody, based on a popular devotional song dedicated to lord Ayyappa, makes references to the Sabarimala gold loss case and the alleged role of prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty.
The complaint was received on Tuesday by State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar, who forwarded it to Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) H Venkatesh for necessary action, sources said.
Subsequently, the matter was sent to the cyber crime police station in Thiruvananthapuram, which lodged an FIR under Sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against unknown persons.
"Who all are to be booked in the case will be determined during the course of the investigation," a cybercrime officer said.
The complaint was filed by an office-bearer of Thiruvabharanapatha Samrakshana Samiti, a religious organisation based in Pandalam, Pathanamthitta district.
The parody, allegedly used by the UDF and BJP during their election campaigns, has also sparked political controversy.
The ruling CPI(M) is reportedly considering filing a complaint with the election authorities.
LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan, speaking in New Delhi, said action should be taken if the song hurt religious sentiments.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal dismissed the political implications, saying, "Elections cannot be won through songs. There have been numerous songs targeting political leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Narendra Modi, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, none of which affected election outcomes."
He added that the Left was viewing a song through a communal lens and targeting youngsters instead of analysing its own electoral setbacks.
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, pointed out that CPI(M) had used a parody of the same devotional song 11 years ago to mock then Chief Minister K Karunakaran.
"At that time, they were not concerned about hurting devotees’ religious sentiments. They are concerned now because the parody refers to the alleged theft of Lord Ayyappa’s gold," he said.
Satheesan added, "The BJP is much better than this."
Danish, a Malappuram native who sang the viral parody, told a television channel that he was unaware of the legal implications and that those who commissioned the song would not have done so if it were illegal.
He said he did not believe the song "hurt religious sentiments" and cited videos of pilgrims travelling to Sabarimala playing the song in their vehicles.
"Many pilgrims have told us they like the song. We have also received negative reactions. It has hurt only those who are accused," he said, along with his associates.
