A police case has been registered against 79 people who gathered at Kochi airport on Sunday to welcome ousted Bigg Boss Malayalam contestant Rajith Kumar. This comes amid the coronavirus scare, and Ernakulam district collector S. Suhas took to Facebook to condemn the act.
In the Facebook post, he wrote that this show by a fans association of a TV show is shameful for every Malayali, at a time when the whole world is taking precautions against the coronavirus outbreak. “The law cannot close its eyes against such blatant breaking of the rules when religious, political and social groups are all avoiding every kind of gathering as part of the precautions to keep the people safe,” he wrote. He further stated that such star worship is generally not part of Malayali culture.
A case has been filed against four people who can be identified, including Rajith Kumar, and another 75 persons.
Rajith Kumar, a lecturer, has been in the news for many of his misogynist and controversial statements. He was one of the contestants of season 2 of Bigg Boss Malayalam hosted by actor Mohanlal. He had to face an unexpected ouster from the show after he applied chilli paste onto the eyes of one of the contestants. Social media has been divided on the subject with his fans grouped as 'Rajith Kumar army' protesting his exit.
A number of videos circulating on social media show the large crowd and frenzy outside the Kochi airport on Sunday night as they waited to welcome him.
On Sunday morning, the Cochin International Airport authorities off-loaded 289 passengers of a Dubai-bound flight shortly before takeoff, after a tourist from United Kingdom, who tested positive for novel coronavirus, was found among them. The UK citizen was part of a 19-member group touring the hill resort town of Munnar and he was under observation. As the news broke, the authorities shut down the Tea County resort where the tourists stayed in Munnar. The hotel is owned by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. The UK citizen reached Munnar on March 7 and his samples were tested two days later by the health department officials
