The Salman Khan starrer, Tiger Zinda Hai is facing heat in various states in India. Why? Because the Valmiki community has reportedly taken offence to Salman’s alleged use of the word bhangi during an interview. They have staged mass protests and burnt effigies of Salman outside various cinema halls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The protesters have reportedly vandalised properties and torn posters of the film. According to a report in IANS, the police remanded several people in custody.
In Jaipur, the Valmiki protesters tore posters and film banners at Ankur, Paras and Raj Mandir cinema halls. In Kota, they broke a glass of Akash Mall, that houses a multiplex.
Jitendra Hatwal Valmiki also added that they want the actor to apologise to the community.
The Valmiki protesters also protested at three halls, under the Bhim Sena outfit and demanded that film screening be stopped. In Udaipur, a group of 150-200 people shouted slogans before submitting a memorandum to Bhupalpura police station, and demanded that a case be lodged against Salman and Shilpa Shetty (also accused of using the same word) under SC/ST Act, and that the actors be arrested.
Responding to this, a distributor for Yash Raj Films asked why a clip from four years ago has led to these protests “now”.
The protests also spread to Agra where a mob of members of the Valmiki community, including Agra municipal corporation's sanitation workers seized a Municipal truck and attacked a film theatre in the city screening Salman Khan's film, Tiger Zinda Hai. Two accused were arrested, based on the complaint of the theatre manager.
Hindustani Biradari Vice-President Vishal Sharma on the other hand demanded a ban on social organisations branding themselves 'Sena' since the word evokes a militant ideology.
An FIR was also lodged against Khan and Kundra on Saturday at Andheri Police station by Navin Ramchandra Lade, General Secretary of Rojgar Aghari Republican Party of India.
Tiger Zinda Hai has previously run into trouble with the MNS and the Shiv Sena, when they demanded equal screens at cinema halls for Marathi film, Deva.
(With inputs from IANS and Hindustan Times and India Today)
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