FIR filed against Yaariyan 2 group for hurting religious sentiments. Read details

The Punjab Police has filed a case against producer Bhushan Kumar, directors Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru and actor Meezaan Jafri on charges of hurting religious sentiments after a song in the upcoming film ‘Yaariyan-2’ allegedly features the actor to wear a “kirpan”. .

The FIR was registered in Jalandhar district following a complaint by a member of the Sikh Talmel Committee, sub-inspector Ashok Kumar said on Thursday.

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The case was filed on Wednesday night.

Police said the FIR has been registered under Section 295-A (intentional and malicious acts, intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class by insulting their religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to a complaint filed by Harpreet Singh, a member of the committee, the actor was seen allegedly wearing a ‘kirpan’ – a symbol of the Sikh faith – in a song in the film.

The complainant said this has hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community as only a baptized Sikh can wear the ‘kirpani’ as per the Sikh Code of Conduct.

The SGPC, the apex religious body of the Sikhs, has already come up against strong objections to the actor allegedly wearing the ‘kirpan’ in the song ‘Saure Ghar’ from the film.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has also lodged a complaint with the Amritsar police commissioner in this regard.

Although the makers of the film had maintained that the actor was wearing a ‘khukri’ (a curved knife) and not a ‘kirpan’ and that they have no intention of offending or disrespecting any religious beliefs, the SGPC had said “we are not satisfied with your absurd explanation.”

Reacting to the filmmakers’ clarification, the SGPC had said, “Sikhs know very well the shape of a ‘kirpani’ and ‘kukri’ and how both are worn on one’s body. We are not satisfied with your absurd clarification. We are therefore initiating the process of legal action in this case as the related video song is still in public view and continues to hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.”

“The khukri is worn like a pistol on the belt by a person (mainly Gorkha soldiers) authorized to do so, and similarly, the Sikh kirpan is worn on a ‘Gatra’ (belt) as the actor has done in your video Saure Ghar song. Only initiated Sikhs are authorized to wear kirpan as per the mandate of Akal Takht Sahib’s ‘Sikh Rehat Maryada’ (code of conduct) and the right under the Constitution of India,” the SGPC had said.