Violent protest against screening of Bollywood movies in Ranchi

Ranchi, Nov 13 : Workers of Lok Jana Shakti Party on Thursday at Ranchi in Jharkhand staged a protest against the Maharashtra Government's decision to ban the film "Deshdrohi" based on hardships faced by migrants in Mumbai.

Lok Jana Shakti party workers removed the posters of many Bollywood movies outside cinema halls and burnt them to register their protest.

The angry protesters said they would not allow the screening of any Bollywood movie in Jharkhand until the Maharashtra Government removed the ban on "Deshdrohi".

"If the screening of our film is not allowed in Mumbai theatres without any reason, we will not allow any Bollywood film to play here. We are not against any particular film, producer, actor or director. We are against the system," Jitendra Singh, President, Lok Jana Shakti Party.

Police officials in Jharkhand said they would soon come down heavily on the violent protesters and restore order in the state.

"We will control the situation with severity. There are other peaceful ways of protest. We cannot allow this kind of violence in a democracy," M. S. Bhatia, police officer.

Maharashtra has banned the film on hardships faced by migrants in Mumbai for fear that it could stoke fresh attacks on immigrants in a city.

The film "Deshdrohi" revolves around the often violent confrontation between immigrants and Mumbai locals who resent being overrun by job-seekers from poor northern and eastern states for whom the city holds hope for a better life.

The low-budget film, a departure from the typical Bollywood fare of racy thrillers and lavish musicals, was scheduled to be released on Friday.

The Mumbai police watched a special screening last week after promotional ads sparked concerns it might incite a fresh wave of violence in the city which last month witnessed some of the worst anti-immigrant attacks.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party, whose leader Raj Thackarey was then arrested, attacked job seekers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Protests against the arrest flared through the state and sparked tit-for-tat attacks and protests in Bihar, where about 100 people were injured and one boy was killed.

Producer and lead actor of "Deshdrohi" Kamaal Khan, who has been criticised for seeking to cash in on the controversy, had earlier complied with a directive from Censor Board to cut the word "Marathi" from some parts of the film's dialogue.

ANI