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‘Religious sentiments are hurt’: Saurabh Bharadwaj, 2 AAP leaders booked for Santa Claus ’political skit'
The case was lodged on Thursday over the skit which shows Santa Claus facing obstacles for Christmas celebrations due to the pollution crisis in Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bhardwaj and two other leaders have been booked for a “political skit” the party released on Christmas. Based on the FIR filed on a complaint by advocate Khushboo George, the skit, outrages the religious feelings of the Christian community.
The case was lodged on Thursday over the skit which shows Santa Claus facing obstacles for Christmas celebrations due to the pollution crisis in Delhi. Along with Bharadwaj, Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha and AAP leader Adil Ahmad Khan were booked.
As reported by news agency ANI, the complainant alleged that the skit outrages the religious feelings of Christians as Santa Claus was "revered religious and cultural icon".
The video was uploaded on X by the three leaders on December 17 and 18. in the skit, he is heard announcing that the Air Quality Index (AQI) at Connaught Place had touched 376.
Moments after the remark, the clip shows a man dressed as Santa Claus dramatically collapsing to the ground as passers-by look on.
Reacting to the scene, Bharadwaj is heard quipping in Hindi, “Oh my God, 376 sunke Santa behosh ho gaye (Santa fainted hearing that the AQI has hit 376).”
AAP vs BJP over FIR
Following the FIR, Bharadwaj took to X, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party was on the back foot over issue of pollution and the Aravallis so its workers were posing as Christians and saying their "religious sentiments are hurt".
Dismissing the case as “intimidatory tactics of the government", Bharadwaj added that the FIR was the result of the power of social media that has cornered the BJP government on several issues.
“An FIR has been filed against Santa Claus's skit. Thanks to social media and your collective strength, the BJP is quite worried today. This is the power of social media—that the BJP government is being forced to respond on pollution, and there's discussion happening on AQI," said Bharadwaj.
“Through Santa Claus's skit, we've taken the pollution issue to every single person, which has caused considerable trouble for both the Delhi and central governments. This is the power of social media—that the government has been put on the back foot over the Aravalli mountain range,” he added.
What does the complaint say?
The complaint, submitted by an advocate Khushboo George, alleges that Santa Claus is a revered religious and cultural icon for Christians worldwide and associated with the legacy of Saint Nicholas and the Christmas festival. As per the advocate, Santa Claus was mocked and portrayed "derogatorily" in the skit.
She added that the visuals, which showed mock CPR being performed on Santa Claus, "amounted to ridicule of a religious symbol during the final days of (month of) Advent, just ahead of Christmas celebrations".
A case under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 302 (uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings of any person) and 3 (5) (joint liability) of the BNS has been registered on December 25.
(With agency inputs)
