Kerala advocate draws flak for communalizing medicos' viral dance

A lawyer at Kerala high court drew flak from various corners for his social media post, disparaging a viral dance video of two medical students from Thrissur medical college. His commentary on the viral video — especially putting out the full names of students, revealing their religion — was largely perceived as having a vile, communal undertone.

Thrissur (Kerala): Thrissur Medical College students Naveen and Janaki dancing to Boney M’s classic ‘Rasputin’ went viral last week. The video drew immense appreciation from every corner for the lively steps of the duo which was performed in their leisure time. The medicos clad in college uniform were seen tapping their feet to the tunes of "Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen" song.

The 30-second video was shared several thousand times on social media. The dance video also gathered appreciation from celebrities as well.

Meanwhile, as the dance video was widely well-received, R Krishnaraj, a lawyer at the state high court, put out a social media post commenting on it. The lawyer drew flak from various corners as his social media was largely perceived as having a vile, communal undertone.

He mentioned the full name of the students, indicating the religion they belong to. The advocate also advised Janaki’s parents to be careful, as both the students were from a different community.

Naveen and Janaki

"Janaki and Naveen. The dance video of Thrissur Medical College students goes viral. The students are Janaki M Omkumar and Naveen K Razaq. It smells like something is wrong. It is better for Janaki's parents to be careful. The story of Nimisha's mother (Nimisha Alias Fathima, who had converted to Islam and left Kerala to join the terror outfit Islamic State in Afghanistan) proves that it is better to be careful rather than getting worried. We should pray for Janaki's father Omkumar and his wife," R Krishnaraj wrote in his FB post.

The Facebook note which delivered communal remarks was harshly criticised over social media with hashtags '#danceisnotjihad' and '#resisthate'. The slogan of the social media protesters is "If the intention is to hate, then the decision is to resist." A massive outrage on social media erupted against the advocate's FB post as netizens gave complete support to the students, with some lambasting R Krishna Raj as a BJP sympathiser.

More students from Thrissur Medical College expressed their support by dancing to 'Rasputin' backing Naveen and Janaki. A group titled 'Rasputin Challenge' was also formed in order to promote dance videos on '#stepagainsthatred'.