THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Museum police have registered a case based on a complaint by Mayor Arya Rajendran against a video which claimed private contractors stealing bricks that were left behind by devotees after offering Attukal Pongala. The police confirmed that the video circulating on social media since Wednesday is misleading.
The video was taken when the bricks bought by a residents’ association in the city were being loaded back into a vehicle after the offering. This might have led to the impression that the remaining bricks were being stolen, they said.
As soon as the video went viral, the corporation lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that attempts were being made to defame the civic body and the LIFE Mission project. The bricks were collected by the city corporation to hand over them to the LIFE Mission beneficiaries. The video, however, claimed that the contractors stole the bricks without the knowledge of the corporation.
The police, when inquired with autorickshaw drivers, found that the footage was misleading. Following the complaint, the members of the residents association turned up and informed in writing about this, the police said. “A probe has been initiated. We are verifying the social media user who circulated the footage. We will take stringent action against the person,” said a police officer with the Museum police station.
The corporation keeps bricks at the Putharikandam ground after collecting them from streets. The bricks were collected by the corporation’s cleaning workers and members of voluntary organisations. As per official figures, over 45 lakh people participated in the Attukal Pongala on March 7.