KOCHI: The Kerala police on Thursday arrested one of the two Australian women tourists of Jewish origin for tearing down pro-Palestine banners and posters at Fort Kochi.
Zara Shilensky Michele (38), the Australian native, was later produced at the lower court in Thoppumpady as part of the legal procedure in the morning.
Though another person, reported to be Zara's friend was present at the scene, she was not arrested as the police could not find her involvement in the scene.
Meanwhile, two Australian Embassy officials arrived in Kochi to help the woman complete the legal procedure and secure a bail from the court.
Manoj KR, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mattancherry, told The New Indian Express that Zara'sarrest was recorded in the case and she was produced at the magistrate court.
"Even though she was booked under IPC 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot) which is a bailable offence, we decided to produce her at the court as she is a foreigner. Now, the court would lay conditions on granting her bail. The conditions laid by the court will help to ensure her presence during the trial procedure," he said.
Zara allegedly tore down pro-Palestinian posters installed by the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) at Fort Kochi Beach and Kamalakkadavu.
This led to a heated argument between the locals and Zara and the videos of the incident went viral on social media platforms.
Following protests by SIO activists, the Fort Kochi police registered a case against the woman under IPC 153 on Tuesday.
Muhammed Azeem KS, Area Secretary of SIO, Fort Kochi, said that the board pulled down by Zara did not have any content hurting the Israeli people's sentiment.
The banners were put just to raise awareness on the hardships endured by the Palestine nationals, he added.
