Hindu festival targeted; footwear company creates offensive Vishu poster placing a pair of slippers on sacred Hindu symbol
Ernakulam, Kerala, India 
18 April, 2026
Case Summary
In Kochi, Ernakulam, Kerala, Hindu sentiments were outraged when a footwear brand named "First Steps" created a greeting poster on the occasion of the Vishu festival. But the poster was derogatory, as it had placed a pair of slippers on top of the sacred Vishukkani. 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. According to media reports, the footwear store was located on Kalathilparambil Cross Road in Ernakulam district. The poster featured a pair of slippers placed inside the Vishukkani arrangement. The slippers were placed in such an arrangement that they overshadowed the traditional sacred elements. This poster went viral on social media, causing massive outrage among Hindu users and devotees who deemed the poster derogatory. Notably, this poster created outrage amidst other incidents of derogatory posters that went viral on social media during Vishu. The Hinduphobia Tracker had previously documented five such incidents. For example, in Cheratala, Kerala, a Muslim-owned restaurant, Meher Mandi and Grills, posted a derogatory Vishu greeting poster on social media in which Lord Krishna was shown consuming meat. Similarly, in another incident, in the Kottakkal area of Malappuram district, Kerala, Hindu faith was derided as a Muslim-owned restaurant named "Arabian Majlis Restaurant" shared a derogatory Vishu greeting poster of Lord Krishna eating meat. In another incident from the Kottakkal area of Malappuram district, Kerala, a Muslim-owned restaurant named "My Raydan Restaurant" shared a derogatory Vishu poster of meat pieces placed before Lord Krishna. In another case from Malappuram, another Muslim-owned restaurant named "Yamama Shawaya Hotel" posted a Vishu greeting poster showcasing Lord Krishna eating non-vegetarian food. In a similar case from Bengaluru, a Muslim-owned restaurant posted a social media poster depicting Lord Krishna eating meat during the Vishu festival, the Malayalam New Year. The restaurant, named "Nadawi Mandi", was owned by a Muslim man named Mohammad Jafar.
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. This case stood as a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime as the footwear company created a derogatory Vishu poster that placed footwear on the sacred Vishukkani while greeting the festival. The central ritual of the Vishu festival is Vishukkani, a sacred arrangement of auspicious items such as rice, fruits, flowers, gold ornaments, coins, a mirror, and divine images, placed before dawn and seen first on waking to invite prosperity, purity and blessings for the year ahead. Hindu families prepare this arrangement with devotion as an expression of faith, hope and spiritual renewal, making Vishukkani one of the most revered elements and sacred symbols of the Vishu celebration. The poster showed a pair of slippers positioned over a central Hindu symbol associated with prosperity, purity and divine blessings, turning a sacred ritual into a profane mockery that wounded the faith of Hindu devotees. By placing footwear on the Vishukkani, the poster desecrated a sacred Hindu symbol and insulted a ritual that Hindus practice with utmost reverence. This act struck at the spiritual heart of Hindu families, confirming it as a religiously motivated hate crime that defiled and desecrated a revered Hindu tradition. The occurrence during the Vishu festival showed deliberateness rather than a random incident. It demonstrated a vicious plan to shatter the celebration’s holiness, a sacred season when Kerala Hindus united in time-honoured family rites, temple prayers at dawn, and festive gatherings that evoked hope, renewal and divine grace for the year ahead. Striking at this joyful peak, when families gathered in devotion, maximised the hurt 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 pierced Hindu communal bonds and undermined 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. Its viral circulation exposed the creators’ deliberate goal to inflict mass hurt on Hindu devotees 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, 19 April 2026, is selected as the indicative incident date. This date is recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
