Kerala BJP leader courts controversy by posting 'fake photo' on cow slaughter

BJP state general secretary K Surendran has courted controversy with a Facebook post, in connection with cattle slaughter and the recent beef fests conducted in Kerala.

Over 200 beef festivals were organised in different parts of Kerala over the weekend by parties associated with both LDF and UDF as protest against the BJP-led central government's order banning the sale of cattle for slaughter. In one of the fests organised in Kannur, a few Youth Congress leaders were seen slaughtering a calf in public, causing some outrage.

In a Facebook post made on Monday, Surendran asked the CPM-led Kerala government to take urgent measures to prevent beef festivals organised in the state by various organisations, including political parties and "terror outfits". However, it's a photo that he has associated with the post which has landed him in a spot of bother.

Surendran posted an old graphic photo of cows lying slaughtered in a street somewhere in north India and connected it with the beef fests organised in Kerala. The photo invited the wrath of social media users across the counry, with many questioning the authenticity of the photograph. 

Some Facebook users stated that the BJP state general secretary posted the fake photo purposely in order to inflame religious sentiments. Facebook later removed the gory image, citing mature content and violation of terms.

Also read: Beef ban: 'Kerala does not need food lessons from Delhi, Nagpur'

Surendran also changed his cover photo to an image of him embracing a calf, with the caption "Even if you make me lose a 100 elections, I will still stand against cow slaughter".

The fake photo allegation over Surendran comes just two weeks after BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan found himself in hot water for sharing a video, which he claimed shows CPM workers celebrating the murder of an RSS activist in Kannur, on his Twitter account.