MANGALURU: Allegations that threatening phone calls were made from abroad to women associated with the free screening of the controversial film The Kerala Story 2 have sparked a major row in Dakshina Kannada district. Organisers claim that unknown callers used abusive language and issued threats to women volunteers whose phone numbers were shared for booking seats for the programme.
The screening was organised at GL One Mall in Puttur by Seetha Parivar to raise awareness about issues such as “love jihad” portrayed in the film. As part of the initiative, arrangements were made to screen the movie free of charge for female college students aged 16 to 22. Three special shows were held on Friday evening, and the event received support from leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as several Hindu organisations.
However, the event soon became controversial after several messages about the programme began circulating on social media. Some posts allegedly urged members of the Muslim community to avoid visiting GL One Mall, while others warned Muslim girls to be cautious about going to the mall in the future. These messages quickly went viral, leading to heated discussions and raising concerns about communal tensions in the region.
Amid this controversy, organisers alleged that women volunteers associated with the event started receiving threatening phone calls soon after the promotional posters were circulated online. The posters had included mobile numbers of women coordinators for booking seats for the free screening.
According to organisers, unknown individuals called those numbers and used abusive language while threatening the women. They claimed the callers attempted to intimidate the organisers and discourage them from conducting such awareness programmes.
What has raised further concern is the claim that some of these threatening calls may have originated from foreign countries. Organisers said that based on the call details and phone numbers, a few of the calls appeared to have come from outside India. However, this claim has not yet been officially confirmed by police authorities.
Reacting to the development, BJP leader Arun Kumar Puthila alleged that certain extremist elements were trying to disrupt the programme through intimidation and online propaganda. He claimed that local “fundamentalist forces” and individuals operating from abroad were attempting to create fear among organisers and participants.
Puthila stated that threatening women volunteers was unacceptable and demanded that the police conduct a detailed investigation into the origin of the calls. He also urged authorities to track the international numbers and take strict legal action against those responsible.
Despite the threats, he said the organisers would not back down from conducting programmes aimed at creating awareness among youth. “We will not be intimidated by such threats. Our awareness activities will continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police department has taken note of the allegations and is closely monitoring the situation in Puttur and the surrounding areas. Security arrangements have reportedly been strengthened to ensure that no untoward incidents occur following the controversy.
