‘Kaali’ poster row: UP Police register FIR against filmmaker, 2 others

A case was registered on Monday in state capital Lucknow's Hazratganj police station.

Published on: Jul 5, 2022, 11:34:13 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Amid massive outrage over a poster of the documentary film ‘Kaali’, that shows a woman dressed as Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette, the Uttar Pradesh Police have registered an FIR against three – the filmmaker, associate producer, and editor – under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and as many as two sections of the IT (Amendment) Act 2008.

The FIR has been registered against three, including the film's director Leena Manimekalai. (HT photo/Sanjeev Verma)

“FIR on charges of criminal conspiracy, offence in place of worship, deliberately hurtling religious sentiments, intention to provoke breach of peace,” tweeted news agency ANI with a screenshot of the FIR.

Besides filmmaker Leena Manimekalai, the documentary's associate producer, mentioned only as Asha, and editor, Shravan Onachan, have been named too.

The FIR was registered on Monday in state capital Lucknow's Hazratganj police station.

A case against the Madurai-born and Toronto-based director had already been registered with the Delhi Police – also on Monday – for allegedly insulting Hindu sentiments.

Also Read | Furore over ‘Kaali’ smoking in film poster, plaint against director Leena Manimekalai

In Canada, the Indian high commission in the North American country requested authorities to remove the ‘disrespectful depiction of Hindu Gods’ from the Toronto-based Aga Khan Museum.

Also Read | ‘Kaali’ poster row: Indian embassy asks Canada to withdraw provocative material

In the controversial poster, the woman dressed as Goddess Kaali can also be seen holding the pride flag associated with the LGBTQ community.

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