Police in Tamil Nadu are asked to stop the anointments as they say milk is being stolenMilk dealers in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu are asking police to stop movie fans splashing milk on posters and cutouts of their idols. The dealers say the practice, in imitation of the way milk is sometimes poured over effigies of Hindu gods during rituals, encourages theft. The practice of paal abhishekam (anointing with milk) posters and cardboard cutouts of the actors is done in the lead-up to a blockbuster release in the hope that it will become a hit. The video prompted a police complaint from the Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association, whose president told the Guardian that the practice should be banned immediately. “In Tamil Nadu, 20% of people are not able to access milk and there are a lot of children in the streets without milk,” SA Ponnusamy said.

Source: The Guardian January 24, 2019 12:10 UTC