WATCH | Hamas leaders' posters in Kerala mosque rally spark outrage
INDIA NEWS | TRENDING | WORLD The incident occurred in an annual festival in Kerala’s Palakkad district. The banners were titled "Tharavadis, Thekkebhagam" which loosely translates to Ancestral and West side.
A prominent display of posters of the killed Hamas leaders at a procession from a mosque in the southern Indian state of Kerala sparked outrage on the internet on Monday (Feb 17). Images and videos shared on the social media platform X showed people carrying posters of slain Hamas chiefs Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, along with assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Also read: ‘Gates of hell will be opened’: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warns Hamas on hostage release
The incident occurred at an annual festival in Kerala’s Palakkad district. The banners were titled "Tharavadis, Thekkebhagam" which loosely translates to Ancestral and West side. The slogan, more or less, said the people in the procession were proud of being a part of a big family of those leaders from the west side. People were seen with the banners on elephants, with over 3,000 people present in the "Uroos" ceremony on Sunday (Feb 16).
Young children were seen holding the posters while loud music played in the back. As the photos and videos surfaced online, people questioned the authorities for allowing such displays.
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Many on the internet alleged those people of "glorifying" the terrorist organisation, while others called the situation "extremely concerning".
The discussion heated more after it was revealed that many prominent figures of the state, like Minister MB Rajesh and Congress leader VT Balram, were also part of the event.
As of now, no response or clarification has been issued by the organising committee.
Also read: Gaza ceasefire: 3 Hamas hostages, dozens of Palestinian prisoners released in latest swap
Support for Hamas?
The incident came after a series of controversies erupted after pro-Palestine rallies took place in the state during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Also read: 'I don't know what's going to happen': Trump expresses uncertainty about hostage release by Hamas
In 2024, the annual youth festival of Kerala University was titled "Intifada" (a controversial word used by Hamas and its supporters against Israel). The event sparked outrage before the university Vice-Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal instructed to remove the word from everywhere in the event.
