Row over movie Kedarnath: Screening banned in 7 districts of Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Dec 7: A ban has been imposed by district magistrates on the screening of the movie "Kedarnath" in seven districts of Uttarakhand in view of protests by Hindu outfits, a senior official said on Friday.

The Sushant Singh Rajput-Sara Ali Khan starrer set against the backdrop of the 2013 deluge hit theatres across the country Friday. The film depicts romance between a Muslim porter and a Hindu pilgrim.

There is a ban on the film in seven districts of Uttarakhand where Hindu outfits have protested the film burning effigies of film-makers and the Central Board of Film Certification, ADG (law and order) Ashok Kumar told PTI on Friday.

The decision has been taken by District Magistrates concerned to maintain law and order in their areas, he said. The districts where the film has been banned are Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Pauri, Tehri and Almora, the ADG said. Districts where there are no multiplexes or cinema halls like Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat and Rudraparayag have been left out of the ambit of the ban, he said.

There are a total of 13 districts in the state. The ban was imposed by DMs concerned after the Uttarakhand High Court, while dismissing a PIL seeking a ban on it on Thursday, left it to the discretion of the state government and district administrations.

Hindu outfits like the VHP, Hindu Yuva Vahini, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Manch tore osters of the film and burnt effigies of its makers at different places in Uttarakhand on Thursday evening, saying it was hurting Hindu sentiments. Hindu outfits have accused the film of treating lightly a human tragedy of such magnitude by using a centre of Hindu faith like Kedarnath to depict the love story of a Muslim porter and a Hindu pilgrim.

PTI