KOCHI: The 22-year-old woman who was seen in a video allegedly kicking apart an Onam pookalam at Palarivattom, visuals of which went viral on social media, has been identified by the police. The woman, a law student, was served a police notice and let off on Tuesday.
The woman has reportedly told the police that the incident was not intentional.
According to the police, she had gone to the area with her mother to get photocopies and had entered two establishments in search of a photocopy facility. The second establishment was in the building in front of which the pookalam had been arranged.
In an apology video circulating on social media, she said she was unable to get the work done and was frustrated. She also said that ongoing Metro-related works in the area had made it difficult to walk through the stretch, forcing her to approach the spot where the pookalam was placed. She claimed that she accidentally stepped on or hit the floral decoration while passing by and that she did not intend to damage it.
She apologised to the Hindu community and acknowledged that her act was inappropriate and could hurt religious sentiments. She said she regretted what had happened and maintained that the incident was the result of frustration and was not deliberate.
The incident occurred on August 25 in front of Mint Jewellery near Mythili Mandiram, where an Onam pookalam had been arranged near Metro Pillar No. 545 as part of the celebrations.
The Palarivattom police had initially registered a case against an unidentified woman based on a complaint alleging that the act was committed with the intention of creating a disturbance in society. An FIR was registered under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The complaint was submitted at the Palarivattom police station on August 29 by C G Rajagopal.
Rajagopal, however, alleged that when he approached the police station with the complaint, he was initially told that the incident had taken place in Bengaluru and was asked to turn back.
Rajagopal said he had seen the woman’s apology video.
“I have seen the video in which the girl apologises, but it should be conveyed properly and sincerely. How can someone accidentally hit a pookalam with their foot?” he said.
He maintained that his complaint was not based on the woman’s religious identity or appearance.
“My issue is not whether she was wearing a headscarf or not. My concern is that she kicked the flowers. This is an Onam celebration associated with religious harmony. People belonging to different communities would have participated in or been associated with putting up the pookalam. Especially as a student, she should have been mindful of that,” Rajagopal said.
“There was a campaign that this was an AI-generated video created by the Sangh Parivar. As a public worker, I felt it was my responsibility to establish the authenticity of the incident. That is why I filed the case. It was not because the girl was wearing a headscarf or because of her religious identity,” he added.