Kerala rapper Vedan, whose real name is Hirandas Murali, was taken into custody by forest officials under non-bailable charges after a suspected leopard tooth was found on a chain he wore. The arrest, led by Kodanad forest officials, took place shortly after he was granted bail in a separate case concerning the possession of suspected ganja from his apartment near Vytilla in Kochi.

He has been booked under multiple sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, including those pertaining to illegal hunting, possession of animal trophies, and the unlawful acquisition of government property derived from wild animals.

The arrest has drawn sharp reactions from social media users, several of whom have accused the media and law enforcement of selective targeting and sensationalism.

Kerala-based lawyer and activist Harish Vasudevan pointed out that Vedan’s politically conscious art may have provoked discomfort among sections of the media and upper-caste police officers. He claimed there has been an attempt to cancel his cultural contributions by using sensational headlines and applying laws in a disproportionate manner. He also highlighted a perceived double standard, comparing Vedan’s arrest to an incident involving a famous actor, Mohanlal, allegedly caught with ivory tusks at his home. He questioned how Vedan could face a potential seven-year sentence for wearing a leopard tooth while Mohanlal allegedly stored two ivory tusks at his residence and faced no legal consequences.

Dalit writer K K Baburaj also took to Facebook to defend Vedan, along with filmmakers Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza, who were mentioned in the context of the recent ganja case. Baburaj lambasted what he called the 'cultural purists', expressing solidarity with the three and criticising attempts to impose moral purity standards on the cultural sphere.

He called on these purists to “go hang themselves,” a metaphor he used to criticise their rigid expectations and moral judgments against artists. He affirmed his support for those arrested and condemned what he viewed as caste-based discrimination and misplaced public outrage.

Are these arrests distracting from larger issues?

Psychiatrist Dr C J John voiced concern that the focus on drug use in the film industry — with claims of arrests of directors, actors, and technicians — may be diverting attention from deeper societal issues. He noted that substance use exists across all social strata and not just within the film community.

He argued that the public and media frenzy surrounding celebrities’ alleged drug use often ends up masking the systemic spread of narcotics across society. They suggested that targeting film personalities may be an attempt to distract from addressing the real problem.