Mumbai, July 15
Activists of the Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal disrupted the film ‘Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya’, starring Salman Khan, following the release of tapes in which he allegedly threatened actress Aishwarya Rai four years ago.
The police said activists of the two parties descended on theatres in several parts of the state and stopped screening of the movie. Today was the first day of the movie’s release.
Instances of screening being disrupted have so far been reported in Nagpur, Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik, the police said. In places like Mumbai and Pune, police personnel were posted outside theatres to prevent attacks.
Among those arrested so far include activists of the Shiv Sena, its student wing, the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena and Bajrang Dal.
In some places, theatre owners voluntarily decided to take the film off screen to placate the activists.
The police said no action was taken against anyone in Aurangabad after the management of Amba and Roxy theatres withdrew the screening of the film. The agitation was led by Shiv Sena corporator Raju Vaidya.
However, in Nashik, about 100 BJP activists, including 20 women were arrested this morning from outside the Mahalaxmi Talkies, Cinemax and Adlabs where the movie was being screened. Though some shows were disrupted, screening resumed later in the day, the police said.
Last evening, at the premiere of the movie, prominent Bollywood personalities came out in support of Salman Khan. “He’s a sympathetic character and I think he’s being treated unsympathetically,” actor Govinda said.
BJP leader and actor Shatrughan Sinha asked journalists to verify the authenticity of the tape before blaming Khan. “A lot of people brag and say things they don’t mean...Aishwarya Rai has not complained,” Mr Sinha said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil announced that the government would make a statement on the matter in the state Legislature by Wednesday.
Meanwhile, anti-Salman Khan protests rocked many parts of the country, a day after an expose about his alleged links with the underworld, forcing several cinema halls to stop screening his film ‘Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya’ on the first day of its release.
