Kerala cafe controversy: YouTuber booked for outrage over Gandhi-Jinnah artwork and beef menu

Kochi police have registered a case against YouTuber Amrit Singh Darren over a social media video in which he objected to an artwork featuring Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi at a Fort Kochi cafe and criticised the serving of beef there.

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The Fort Kochi police registered the first information report (FIR) against Darren on Saturday under Sections 353(2) and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The action came after Darren uploaded a video on Instagram around 6 am on October 22. Police said his remarks could provoke tensions between two religious communities.

What the YouTuber Alleged

Darren, who posts on Instagram under the handle "littichokha_up_", said he was surprised to find images of Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, displayed alongside those of Gandhi inside Kashi Art Cafe.

He also objected to beef being served at an establishment named Kashi, a name he associated with Varanasi, the Hindu pilgrimage city in Uttar Pradesh.

In the video, Darren claimed that Muslims controlled 95 per cent of businesses and transport services in Fort Kochi and suggested that some residents were afraid to express their political views. 

What the Gandhi-Jinnah Artwork Depicts

The artwork at the centre of the controversy is part of "Blood Brothers: Two Fathers from Gujarat", created by artist Riyas Komu.

Rather than being a standalone tribute to Jinnah, the installation uses repeated aluminium relief portraits of Gandhi and Jinnah to examine their connected histories and the Partition of India. 

The cafe's name has also been disputed. According to a report by South First, "Kashi" is derived from the Japanese word for sweets or confectionery, and not from the religious city in Uttar Pradesh.

Cafe manager Jude Vipin told the publication that the menu included buffalo meat, chicken, fish and other dishes. Kashi Art Cafe operates as both a restaurant and an exhibition space and has been part of Fort Kochi's arts scene since 1997.

Why Police Registered the Case

Police said Darren's remarks went beyond criticism of a cafe. The FIR alleges that he linked the menu and artwork to the area's Muslim population in a manner that could promote hostility between communities.

While Section 353(2) of the BNS deals with statements that can promote enmity between groups, Section 192 relates to provocation intended or likely to cause rioting.

Kerala CM, Opposition leader condemn video

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan condemned the video, saying it misrepresented Fort Kochi and sought to divide its communities.

"Communal hatred has no place here," Satheesan wrote on X, adding that the law would take its course. He said the Congress-led United Democratic Front government would act fairly and protect communal harmony.

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, a senior CPI(M) leader and former chief minister, also condemned the video. In a post on X, he accused the vlogger of using communal hostility for attention and demanded strict action against attempts to provoke religious divisions.

Vijayan also referred to claims Darren had made about Varkala, another Kerala tourist destination. "Keralam’s secular spirit will not yield to their politics of hatred," he said.

Muslim Youth League Files Complaint

Separately, the Ernakulam district committee of the Muslim Youth League complained to the Kochi City Police, seeking action over Darren’s remarks.

Online reactions to the video have been divided, with some users supporting the YouTuber and others challenging his account of the cafe and the area.

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