Shop owner arrested for showing picture of Lord Ganesha eating biryani

CHENNAI: A shop owner who placed a picture of Lord Ganesha eating biryani in front of his shop as part of a promotional offer connected with Vinayaka Chaturthi, has been arrested. The incident happened in Tirunelveli. The police arrested the owner identified as Jayanth (30), following a complaint of hurting religious sentiments.

The complaint was filed by Selvaraj alleging that Lord Ganesha was depicted in an offensive manner. The incident happened during the celebrations conducted as part of Vinayaka Chaturthi. Based on the complaint, the police launched an investigation and arrested Jayanth. The banner depicting Lord Ganesha eating chicken biryani was installed in front of his biryani shop.

The message in the banner was, ‘Arabic Style 65 Biryani for Rs 99’ as part of Vinayaka Chaturthi. The banner also said the offer would be available only on Sunday and Monday. After the photo of the banner was circulated on social media, a complaint was also lodged with the police. The police then took him into custody as part of the investigation and recorded his arrest later.

Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations were held on a grand scale across Tamil Nadu. In Chennai alone, 5,501 Ganesha idols were installed in public places. The Ganesha idols will be immersed on September 19th and 20th.