Rajith Kumar, a controversial public speaker in Kerala, has been booked by the Nedumbassery police for a mass gathering at the Kochi International airport, while the state battles the coronavirus pandemic.

As per a report by Manorama, Rajith and 75 of his fans have been booked under sections pertaining to “unlawful assembly, rioting, disobeying orders of a public servant and causing obstruction to public way and thereby causing danger to the public”.

Rajith a Malayalam Big Boss contestant was recently evicted from the reality show after he rubbed chilly paste on the eyes of his fellow contestant Reshma.

Subsequently, hundreds of his fans decided to defy the state government’s directive to avoid large gatherings and queued up at the Kochi airport to receive Rajith.

The Ernakulam district collector sharply criticised this act by calling it a disgrace to Keralites, “When the entire world is keeping tight vigil against the global pandemic Covid-19, the performance by a TV channel reality show participant and his fans at Cochin international airport premises is disgraceful for Keralites”.

The state tourism minister has also assured that the government will take stringent action if such fan shows are organised in the state.

Rajith in the past has drawn flack for his misogynistic and transphobic comments. In 2018 he had commented that women wearing jeans give birth to transgender children.