Activists of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) protested at a cinema hall in Agra against the Shahrukh Khan-starrer ‘Pathaan’, to be released in theaters on Wednesday.
The incident occurred within the limits of Rakabganj police station of Agra where a case was registered against five or six unidentified people, said SHO, Rakabganj, Pradeep Kumar.
Meanwhile, a home department spokesperson said that the state police has been directed to maintain vigil on outfits that have given a boycott call or plan to oppose the release of Pathan on Wednesday. The police has been directed to maintain law and order as well as to take action against anti- social elements.
About half a dozen activists of the ABHM reached Meher cinema hall of Agra on Tuesday afternoon and threw ink on a poster of ‘Pathaan’, raised slogans and tore down the poster.
Police reached the spot but the protesters had left by then.
“We will continue to lodge such protests against ‘Pathaan’ as we cannot tolerate insults to saffron,” the protesters said.
“A case is being registered under section 427 (mischief causing damage) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code against five or six unidentified people at Rakabganj police station on Tuesday and appropriate action will be taken,” Kumar said.
The ABHM unit in Agra and Mathura had earlier issued an ‘ultimatum’ to cinema hall owners not to screen ‘Pathaan’, saying they would be responsible for any damage to their property, if the movie was screened.
{{/usCountry}}The ABHM unit in Agra and Mathura had earlier issued an ‘ultimatum’ to cinema hall owners not to screen ‘Pathaan’, saying they would be responsible for any damage to their property, if the movie was screened.
{{/usCountry}}The activists had called for a boycott of the film for ‘insulting’ the colour saffron and had burned effigies of the stars of the movie while lodging a protest at another cinema hall on by-pass road in Agra on December 16, 2022.
“We had pasted a ‘written ultimatum’ at the cinema hall warning the owners that they would be responsible for any damage to their property, if they screened the movie,” said Sanjay Jat claiming to be spokesperson of ABHM, last month.