KOLKATA: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea has been moved before the Calcutta High Court seeking prohibition on the exhibition of the movie, Laal Singh Chaddha in the state alleging that the same may cause a breach of peace.
BJP leader and lawyer, Nazia Ilahi Khan have moved the High Court stating that the situation in the state is extremely volatile in relation to any religious issue. In this regard and to substantiate her arguments, the petitioner has referred to some of the recent instances when the state came under a critical situation.
The plea further refers to the remark of the Chief Minister of the wherein she allegedly used the term Jihad against the principal Opposition Party in the State of West Bengal. Then also, the plea submits, that due to the intervention of the court situation was brought under control.
In furtherance of these submissions, the plea states that all these incidents show that when any act becomes communal in nature may be it through words or through signs, or visible representations, the situation in the State of West Bengal becomes quite vulnerable.
Against this backdrop, the plea adds that due to certain activities (plea mentions several instances involving alleged controversial remarks made by Actor Aamir Khan) of the male Protagonist in the movie, namely Amir Khan, the public has decided to boycott this film as well.
The plea claims that the boycott trend on social media has been started by people due to the activities of Amir Khan and that they won’t allow people to go and watch his film, and therefore, in such a situation there are chances that a law and order situation may arise.
“The trend in Social Media has been advocated by quite a large amount of people and they would further not want others to go and watch this film in the theatres as that would make their ‘hard work’ go futile. Such anger and frustration on seeing that some people are going to watch the film can lead to a serious threat to the law and order situation in the State of West Bengal. Such factions who want to boycott the film may not let others watch the film in the theatres and this may lead to tussle and further may loosen the grip of the State over the law and order situation. Such a situation seriously leads to an apprehension that the law and order situation in the State may be compromised if the film is exhibited in the theatres any further,” the plea states.