Two youths were detained on Tuesday here on charges of nuisance after they allegedly offered narcotic substance in the form of prasadam to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Mahashivratri went viral on social media, police said.
The two youths, who work in a gym, were detained by the Task Force (a wing of the Hyderabad Police).
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A police official at Falaknuma police station said that a case has been registered against the duo for allegedly creating nuisance.
In the clip, which was recorded near a Shiva temple in Shamshabad area here on Sunday, the duo is heard saying that they had come to offer ‘prasadam’ to Shiva.
The two young men were then seen boasting that while devotees usually offer coconut as prasadam, they are doing something different. One of them was seen carrying a drug in his hand, suspected to be ganja.
Later, the young men posted the video on their social media account, and many Internet users called for action.
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Earlier in the day, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar warned youth against doing objectionable acts for the sake of ‘likes’ on social media.
After the public anger sparked by the video, he warned of taking strict legal measures against those involved in such acts.
After noticing the reel, Sajjanar asked, “Would you go to any lengths to become famous?”
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“Maha Shivaratri is a symbol of devotion…a path to liberation. On such a holy and sacred occasion, offering intoxicating substances in the name of offering prasadam is an extremely disgraceful act. It is deviant behaviour,” the commissioner said in a post on X on Tuesday.
Describing it as a serious crime, Sajjanar said that once the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act are activated, “you may have to regret it for the rest of your life.”
He also advised them not to sacrifice their golden future for the pleasure of momentary “likes and views,” adding, “Turn social media into a platform for your creativity… not a gateway to addiction.”
