Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Narottam Mishra urged Sabyasachi and Dabur on Monday not to make the same mistake of ‘insulting Hindu religious traditions’ or else ‘direct action’ will be taken without notice.
Sabyasachi pulled off his ad of Mangalsutra after receiving the reaction, on Sunday. The commercial depicting a woman posed in an intimate position with a man drew backlash on social media as well as from a sector of legislators. The campaign was halted just hours after Mishra gave Sabyasachi a 24-hour ultimatum to end it or face legal action. The advertisement, according to Mishra, portrays mangalsutra, which is worn by married Hindu women, in an ‘objectionable and obscene’ manner.
Mishra told the media on Monday that Sabyasachi withdrew the ad after his warning. ‘After the apology, I ended this matter,’ the Minister said. He further added that they will not tolerate any insults to Hindu religious heritage and beliefs. ‘It was for the first time… so, whether it is Sabyasachi or Dabur, we accept that it was a mistake but we would not tolerate recurrence of such things. Next time, we would not warn them but will take direct action.’
Dabur apologised and withdrew an advertisement picturing a lesbian pair enjoying the Hindu holiday of Karwa Chauth earlier this week after Mishra chastised it for displaying objectionable content and threatened legal action if it was not removed.
Also Read: Sabyasachi withdraws mangalsutra ad after criticism over using semi-naked models
Mishra labelled Hinduism a ‘soft target’ on Monday, accusing filmmakers and businesses of continually denigrating it. He endorsed Bajrang Dal last week when it vandalised the Bhopal set of the online series Ashram 3. Filmmakers will need to get permission ahead of time to shoot ‘objectionable scenes’ including those that may hurt any religious sentiment.
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