Kerala Police have registered a case against YouTuber Amrit Singh Darren over alleged communal remarks in a social media video targeting Kashi Art Cafe in Fort Kochi.
The video reportedly made claims about the cafe’s food menu, name and artwork featuring Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Fort Kochi Police registered the FIR under Sections 353(2) and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deal with promoting enmity between communities and provoking riots.
According to the FIR, Darren shared the video on Instagram on October 22. He allegedly claimed that the cafe, named after Kashi, a Hindu holy city, served beef. He questioned the presence of an artwork depicting Jinnah alongside Gandhi and made other remarks about the Muslim population in Fort Kochi.
Police said the video contained statements that could disturb public peace and create hostility between religious communities.
A Fort Kochi resident’s complaint led to the registration of the case.
Reports clarified that the Gandhi-Jinnah installation was an artwork titled ‘Blood Brothers: Two Fathers from Gujarat’, created by artist Riyas Komu in 2008.
The cafe had removed the installation months before the controversy.
The name Kashi, meanwhile, has a different origin and is associated with a Japanese word for confectionery.
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan condemned the video, stating that communal hatred had no place in the state. He said the law would take its course and stressed the need to protect communal harmony.
The controversy has triggered widespread reactions on social media, drawing attention to the impact of online content on communal relations.
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