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Two held in Hyderabad for recording reel 'offering drugs' as prasadam to deity
In the reel, recorded near a Shiva temple in Shamshabad area here on Sunday, the duo is heard saying that they came to offer "prasadam" to Shiva.
Two youths were on Tuesday taken into custody here for nuisance after their social media reel allegedly offering a narcotic substance as prasadam to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Mahashivratri, went viral, police said.
The two youths, working at a gym, were taken into custody by Task Force (a wing of Hyderabad Police).
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A case was registered against the duo for allegedly creating nuisance, a police official at Falaknuma Police Station said.
In the reel, recorded near a Shiva temple in Shamshabad area here on Sunday, the duo is heard saying that they came to offer "prasadam" to Shiva.
The two youths are then seen bragging that while the devotees normally offer coconuts as prasadam, they are doing something different. One of them is seen holding a narcotic drug, suspected to be ganja, in his hand.
Later, the youth posted the video on their social media account, following which several netizens demanded action.
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Earlier in the day, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar warned youth against performing objectionable acts for social media 'likes'.
Following public outcry over the video, he warned of strict legal action against those indulging in such acts.
Taking note of the reel, Sajjanar asked, "Will you go to any extent just to become famous?"
The Commissioner in a post on 'X' on Tuesday said: "Maha Shivaratri is a symbol of devotion… a path to liberation. On such a sacred and holy occasion, displaying intoxicating substances in the name of offering prasadam is an extremely disgraceful act. It is a perverse behaviour."
Sajjanar called it a serious offence and said once the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act are invoked, "you may have to regret it for the rest of your life".
He further advised them not to sacrifice their golden future for the momentary pleasures of "likes and views", adding, "turn social media into a platform for your creativity...not a gateway to addiction."
