After Padmavati, it is now ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ that faces protests and the wrath of the people. Here are the details.
Actor Salman Khan’s new film ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, released on Friday, landed in trouble over his alleged derogatory remark, made against a particular caste while promoting the movie on a TV show. Members of the Valmiki community staged protests across Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and several other states throughout the day, demanding an apology from the actor.
In Rajasthan, Valmiki members burnt posters of the movie and vandalized theaters in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Kota.
Scores of protestors were detained in Jaipur while they were burning posters of the movie, tying garlands made of shoes on cutouts of the film and raising slogans. Similar scenes were witnessed in other parts of the state including Bikaner, Ajmer, and Alwar where a bonfire was made of the movie’s posters.
Salman Khan had allegedly used the word ‘bhangi’ while referring to his dancing skills during the film’s promotion, while Shilpa Shetty used the word to describe how she looks at home. Valmiki is made up of a cluster of Dalit communities — a few of whom are Bhangi, Mehtar, Chuhra, Lal Beghi and Halalkhor.
Later in the day, an FIR was filed against Khan and Shilpa Shetty at a police station in Churu.
“The FIR has been registered under Prevention of Atrocities Act… We also have included Section 153 A (promoting enmity between different group) of IPC,” Churu SP Rahul Bharat said. In Kota, a mob of about 30 protestors stormed into a mall and vandalized a cinema hall where the movie was being screened. Police detained two protestors.
Aligarh and Hathras also saw sporadic protests throughout the day. District president of Maharishi Valmiki Sena in Aligarh, Rahul Chetan threatened to vandalize a theatre on Saturday.
He said, “We will continue our protest till Salman Khan apologizes…” In Hathras, Lakhan Chatterji from the Valmiki community said that action should be taken against Salman Khan under SC/ST Act. In Saurashtra, community members protested in Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Gondal.
In Ahmedabad, a Dalit outfit called Valmiki Swaraj Abhiyan-Gujarat submitted a memorandum to city police commissioner seeking action against Khan and Shetty under the provision of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has sought a reply, within seven days, from the Union ministry of information and broadcasting and police commissioners of Delhi and Mumbai over the complaints against Salman and Shilpa.
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