Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police has withdrawn a social media post after it triggered controversy over its apparent reference to the ongoing debate surrounding Argentina captain Lionel Messi and the FIFA World Cup. The now-deleted post appeared on the Kerala Police's official Facebook page.
The post featured an image of a referee standing with his arm around Messi, alongside a uniformed police officer embracing the map of Kerala. It carried the message "Oppamundu" (We are with you) and urged people to contact the police emergency helpline, 112, whenever assistance was needed.
The post came at a time when allegations and online campaigns claiming that referees had favoured Argentina during the World Cup pre-quarterfinal against Egypt were continuing to gain traction. Against this backdrop, the Kerala Police's use of a similar visual drew attention and quickly became controversial.
Following criticism, the police removed the post from its official Facebook page.
According to the report, Argentina supporters strongly objected to the post through the comments section. The backlash also included critical remarks directed at the state government and those responsible for managing the Kerala Police's social media accounts.