Jaat: Makers of Sunny Deol-starrer remove controversial church scene amid backlash for hurting religious sentiments

Jaat stirred up controversy for a scene which resembled Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, which hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian community.

Bollywood film Jaat, led by Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda, sparked controversy following its release on April 10. On Friday, actors Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda, along with the director and producer were booked for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Now the makers of the film have released an official statement where they declared that the scene in question has been removed from the film. (Also read: Jaat under fire for church scene: Christian community demands ban, raises slogans of ‘Randeep Hooda murdabad’)

Sunny Deol's Jaat released in theatres on April 10. It also stars Randeep Hooda.

Official Statement from the Makers of Jaat

The makers of Jaat released a statement on Friday regarding the removal of a scene following concerns that it hurt religious sentiments. The statement read: "To Whomsoever It May Concern,

There has been a backlash for a specific scene in the film. The scene has been removed from the film with immediate effect.

Our intention was not to hurt any religious sentiments. We deeply regret it and have taken a quick action of deleting the scene from the film.

We sincerely apologize to everyone whose beliefs have been hurt."

About the controversy

A case was registered under Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Jalandhar’s Sadar police station.

The complainant alleged that the movie, starring Sunny Deol, who is a former Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur, and others, features a scene resembling Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, which has hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian community.

The scene shows Randeep standing inside a church, beneath a crucifix placed above the sacred pulpit. In another scene, members of the congregation are seen praying in the church. It comes with references to violence inside the church, which the community finds offensive. Earlier, the Christian community planned to protest outside cinemas showing Jaat, but police intervention prevented the demonstrations. It gave a 48-hour ultimatum with a warning of protests if no action is taken.