Hyderabad, February 17 Two young men were taken into custody here on Tuesday for causing nuisance after a social media reel allegedly offering a narcotic substance as "prasadam" to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Mahashivaratri went viral, police said.
The two men, who worked at a gym, were taken into custody by the Task Force (a wing of the Hyderabad Police).
A case has been registered against the duo for allegedly causing nuisance, a police official at the Falaknuma Police Station said.
In the reel, which was recorded near a Shiva temple in the Shamshabad area here on Sunday, the duo is heard saying that they came to offer "prasadam" to Shiva.
The two men are then seen boasting that while devotees normally offer coconuts as prasadam, they are doing something different. One of them is seen holding a narcotic drug, suspected to be ganja, in his hand.
Later, the young man posted the video on his social media account, following which several netizens demanded action.
Earlier in the day, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar had warned young people against performing objectionable acts for social media "likes".
Following public outcry over the video, he warned of strict legal action against those indulging in such acts.
Taking note of the reel, Sajjanar asked, "Will you go to any extent just to become famous?"
In a post on 'X' on Tuesday, Sajjanar said: "Mahashivaratri is a symbol of devotion… a path to liberation. On such a sacred and holy occasion, displaying intoxicating substances in the name of offering prasadam is an extremely disgraceful act. It is a perverse behaviour."
Sajjanar called it a serious offence and said that once the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act are invoked, "you may have to regret it for the rest of your life".
He further advised them not to sacrifice their golden future for the momentary pleasures of "likes and views", adding, "turn social media into a platform for your creativity...not a gateway to addiction."
