Even as the BJP is yet to criticize the Patal Lok creators of using an image of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister where they have replaced it with the fictional villain of the series Bajpayee, the makers have been receiving flak from different quarters of the society.
It began with the Member of Legislative Assembly from Loni, Gurjar, filing a police complaint against Anushka Sharma who is the producer of the show. Another BJP leader from Delhi has filed a complaint with the National Minorities Commission. The co-convenor of the BJP’s Sikh Cell, Jaspreet Singh Matta, also said that he has spoken to the Deputy Chairman of the National Minorities Commission Manjit Singh Rai over the popular web series hurting the religious sentiments of both Hindus and Sikhs. The scene in question was where a Sikh man is shown raping a woman while other Sikh watches in silence.
Jaspreet Singh Matta has also filed a police complaint at the Mukherjee Nagar police station and has demanded an FIR to be filed against the makers under sections 153,295A and 298 of the Indian Penal Code. He claims that the Patal Lok can potentially disrupt law and order across the country.
More criticism for Anushka Sharma
If these weren’t enough for the makers to prepare for a legal battle, Shiromani Akali Dal, the ally of the BJP, has also criticized the series and is believed to have spoken to the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar. The National Spokesperson of Shiromani Akali Dal, Manjinder S. Sirsa, in a video message, called for action against the makers of the show as he accused the online platforms of giving space for such shows to flourish. He demanded immediate withdrawal of the series.
A strong allegation against the makers is their portrayal of the Gurjar community. The MLA of Loni believes that the ribbon-cutting photo is an attack on the Sanatan Dharma and hence, he says, it is anti-national. Another body, Yuva Gurjar Mahasabha, has written to the top police officers of Saharanpur asking to book Anushka Sharma under the National Security Act.
With all this and more reports coming in from different political bodies, it has become a serious worry for the makers of Patal Lok.
Source: Free Press Journal
