Kerala police book tourists for vandalising posters
KOCHI: Kerala police on Wednesday booked two Australian women tourists for allegedly destroying pro-palestine posters put up by student oufit in this port city of Kochi. The names of the suspects were not divulged by police, who said the incident was reported from the Fort Kochi police station limit on Monday evening. According to a senior police officer, there were two female foreign tourists, and one of them allegedly destroyed the pro-palestine boards erected by the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), student wing of Jama’ate Islami Hind in front of the Jankar Jety. The duo was charged with IPC Section 153 for wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot.
This section pertains to “wantonly giving provocation with the intent to cause riot, whether or not riot is commited.” However, the offence is bailable, and the women were subsequently released from police custody.
A video circulated through social media showed a woman tourist engaging in heated arguments allegedly with SIO activists ater tearing down the banners. Upon seeing posters in support of Palestine against the Israeli war on Gaza, the enraged Australian tourist of Jewish origin tore them down, leading to a heated exchange with locals. The incident took place near the Fort Kochi boat jety on Monday night. Caught on camera, the footage depicts the woman engaged in heated exchanges with several men who confronted her for dismantling the poster. Despite their insistence that she collect the torn pieces of the mural, she persisted in arguing her case. The altercation escalated as the locals urged her to involve the police if she had grievances with the mural.
On Tuesday, KS Azeem, an area leader of SIO, lodged a complaint with the local police seeking action against the women. SIO activists managed to track down one of the tourists to a homestay near Fort Kochi. The police faced mounting pressure from SIO activists who thronged the police station in large numbers on Tuesday night, demanding that a case be registered. The activists also staged a protest in front of the police station, insisting that they would disperse only ater their demands were met. Ultimately, the police relented and registered a case around midnight on Tuesday.
According to police reports, the tourists tore down one of the pro-palestine posters, prompting questioning from local youths and escalating into a heated debate between the two parties. Police clarified that the pro-palestine posters were erected without permission during the New Year eve. While acknowledging that the posters should have been removed by the local civic body, they maintained that it was not within their jurisdiction to do so.