Hindu faith targeted; Muslim-owned restaurant in Malappuram posts derogatory poster of Lord Krishna during Vishu festival
Malappuram, Kerala, India 
19 April, 2026
Case Summary
In the Kottakkal area in Malappuram district, Kerala, Hindu faith was derided as a Muslim-owned restaurant named "Arabian Majlis Restaurant" shared a derogatory poster of Lord Krishna on its social media handle. This occurred during the Vishu celebrations in Kerala. Vishu, the Malayalam New Year, is a deeply significant festival for Hindus in Kerala, centred on rituals like the Vishukkani, which symbolises prosperity, purity and divine blessings for the year ahead. Hindu families prepare the Vishukkani the night before by arranging auspicious items, such as rice, gold ornaments, fruits, flowers, coins, a mirror, and sacred texts, in a darkened room lit by a traditional lamp. The first sight upon waking determines one's fortune for the coming year, emphasising renewal, hope, and spiritual purity through this time-honoured tradition. As per media reports, the Arabian Majlis has a wide network of outlets across Kerala, such as Feroke, Koduvally, Kondotty, Kottakkal, Saradamandiram, Tanur, Tirurangadi, Atholi, Cherpulassery, and Edakkara, and also in Gulf cities, including Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. The controversy arose after a Vishu greeting poster showing Lord Krishna eating meat circulated widely on social media from the restaurant's official handle. The poster showed a child-like representation of Lord Krishna seated at a dining table, appearing to eat from a plate that included a meat-based dish. The setting included a Vishu Kani-like arrangement placed beside the figure, featuring fruits and traditional elements. The screenshots of these visuals spread on social media, creating massive outrage on the internet and led to legal complaints from a local resident. In the complaint, the local resident stated that the depiction was offensive to Hindu religious sentiments, particularly in the context of Vishu, where the Vishu Kani ritual held deep cultural and spiritual significance. Acting on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which dealt with intentional or malicious acts that may have provoked unrest. Officials initiated a probe into the origin, design, and dissemination of the poster, including the role of those who handled the digital platforms of the establishment. At the time of writing this report, investigators examined digital evidence, including social media activity and electronic devices, to trace responsibility and establish whether there was any coordinated effort behind the publication.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within this, the subcategory selected is - Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The other subcategory selected is- Iconoclastic representation of Hindu Gods/Goddesses. An icon is a symbol of someone or something that is revered, or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Any iconoclastic representation of these symbols, images and murtis is an affront to the religious beliefs and faith of the Hindu community itself since the symbols and icons are deeply religious in nature. In this sub-category of crime, we would record hate crimes and iconoclastic representations, in words, art, or any other form of representations of symbols that hold religious significance for the Hindu community. Since these symbols, icons and murtis are central to the Hindu faith, any iconoclastic representation of these symbols is born out of animosity towards the faith itself, manifesting itself through these symbols and therefore, these representations would be considered religiously motivated hated crimes. This case stood as a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime as the Arabian Majlis Restaurant posted a derogatory poster of Lord Krishna eating meat while wishing Vishu greetings. The post showed Lord Krishna, a central deity in Hinduism, revered for his divine purity as depicted in scriptures, in a child-like representation seated at a dining table holding cooked meat next to a plate that included a meat-based dish, turning a sacred figure into a profane mockery that wounded the faith of Hindu devotees. Vishu, the Malayalam New Year, held deep spiritual meaning through rituals like Vishukkani, where Hindu families arranged symbols of prosperity, purity, fruits, gold and divine images to seek blessings, making this timed insult a deliberate attack on Hindu traditions and proving its hateful intent. The act of portraying Lord Krishna eating meat amounted to desecration of sacred Hindu symbols since Hindu deities command utmost reverence with temples and homes barring meat, alcohol and all impurities to uphold ritual sanctity. The poster's blend of this impure element, meat, with Krishna during Vishu greetings profaned Hinduism's holiest icons, stripping away the devotion Hindus offered their gods as living faith embodiments. This act stabbed at the spiritual heart of Hindu families, confirming it as a religiously motivated hate crime that defiled and desecrated a sacred figure Hindus revered most. This showcased the perpetrator's deep-seated animosity towards Hinduism and the Hindu community, making this a clear instance of a religiously motivated crime. By depicting Krishna consuming meat, the poster committed iconoclasm against Hindu gods whose forms appeared in exact detail across scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita and Puranas as perfect divine beings free from human flaws. Straying from this scriptural purity to link Krishna with impure substances like meat outraged devotees' deepest beliefs, causing emotional pain to Hindu communities who cherished such depictions. This intentional distortion marked the incident as a religiously motivated hate crime crafted to provoke outrage through a beloved deity's degradation. The occurrence right during the Vishu festival revealed the perpetrators' vicious plan to shatter the celebration's holiness, a sacred season when Kerala Hindus unite in time-honoured family rites like preparing Vishukkani arrangements, offering temple prayers at dawn, and sharing festive feasts such as Vishu sadhya that evoked hope, renewal and divine grace for the year ahead. Striking at this joyful peak when families gather in devotion maximises devastation to Hindu sentiments among those honouring the Malayalam New Year with pure hearts and traditional observances. Such precise timing laid bare a calculated scheme to erode a vital cultural and religious rite central to Hindu identity, establishing this as a classic religiously motivated hate crime that pierces Hindu communal bonds and undermines collective faith. The poster's spread through social media guaranteed exposure to millions of Hindus actively sharing festival warmth online through greetings, family photos and sacred updates, a digital space meant purely for joy and celebration, not an assault on beliefs. This broad public launch on platforms from the official handle of Arabian Majlis, with outlets across Kerala such as Feroke, Koduvally, Kondotty, Kottakkal, Saradamandiram, Tanur, Tirurangadi, Atholi, Cherpulassery, and Edakkara, and also in Gulf cities including Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, exposed the creators' deliberate goal to inflict mass hurt on the Hindu majority by flooding their feeds with sacrilege precisely when festive content dominated. Leveraging social media's vast scale turned private malice into collective trauma across Hindu communities, rendering this a prime example of a religiously motivated hate crime aimed at wounding Hindu devotees widely and amplifying outrage through viral dissemination. Given that this case ticked every hallmark of a religiously motivated offence, it was added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the dates of incidents based on when the crime occurs rather than when it is reported by the media. In this case, media reports did not state the exact date when the social media post was made by the accused. Henceforth, the date when it was first reported by the media, that is, 20 April 2026, is selected as the indicative incident date. This date is recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
