New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra said Monday that after examination, the charge against Netflix series ‘A Suitable Boy’, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, has been found prima facie to be true and an FIR has been registered against the streaming service.
BJP youth leader Gaurav Tiwari had filed a complaint against the makers of ‘A Suitable Boy’ for shooting kissing scenes between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy against the backdrop of a Hindu temple.
Mishra had then asked police officials to examine the action that could be taken against Netflix.
After examination, Mishra said, “An FIR has been registered under Section 295 A of the IPC against Monika Shergill and Ambika Khurana.” Shergill is the Vice President of Netflix India while Khurana is the Director of Public Policy at the streaming site.
.#Netflix पर प्रसारित वेब सीरीज "A Suitable Boy" के आपत्तिजनक दृश्यों से धर्म विशेष की भावनाएं आहत होने का कानूनी परीक्षण करने के निर्देश गृह एवं विधि विभाग के अधिकारियों को दिए थे। परीक्षण में भावनाएं आहत होने का आरोप सही पाया गया है।@mohdept @DGP_MP pic.twitter.com/FlJJPwfN07
— Dr Narottam Mishra (@drnarottammisra) November 23, 2020
In his complaint, Tiwari had highlighted several kissing scenes in the series, including one with a shiva linga in the backdrop.
He noted that the location’s name was changed but it was shot in the Maheshwar Temple on the banks of the Narmada river.
Tiwari also linked the the kissing scenes, between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy, to the alleged phenomenon ‘love jihad’. He said these scenes will encourage other people and vitiate an already disturbed atmosphere in the country.
“Our government is bringing a strict law against love jihad,” Tiwari said in his complaint, referring to the state government’s decision to table a bill against ‘love jihad’ in the next assembly session.
Also read: Not Ram Mandir, the ‘love jihad’ laws are the foundation of Hindu Rashtra
Scenes were shot when Congress govt was in power
The Superintendent of Police of the Rewa district, Rakesh Singh, told ThePrint that he has approached the district prosecution officer (DPO) to seek advice on how to progress in the matter.
“The matter is being examined. It will depend on the DPO’s opinion whether a case is made out and under what sections,” said Singh.
The scenes were shot in Maheshwar temple in Khargone district in December 2019 when the Congress was in power.
However, Dr Vijaylakshmi Sadho, former culture minister in the Kamal Nath government, said she was not aware of the content when she inaugurated the shooting.
‘A Suitable Boy’, an adaptation of Vikram Seth’s popular novel, is a six-part series directed by Mira Nair. It was released on Netflix on 23 October and Tanya Maniktala, Rasika Dugal, Tabu and Ishaan Khattar play prominent roles in the series.
Also read: A Suitable Boy is my response to India’s disappearing pluralism, Mira Nair says