An FIR under IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious act with intent to hurt religious sentiments), a non-bailable offence, was registered against Moitra in Bhopal after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the state DGP it was done. “The religious sentiments of Hindus have been hurt by Moitra’s statement. We will not tolerate insult to any Hindu deities,” the CM said.
Two separate FIRs, one each in Bhopal and Ratlam, were filed against filmmaker Leena Manimekalai for the poster of her film “Kaali”, which shows Devi smoking.
Moitra’s remarks came in the backdrop of the controversy surrounding the poster of ‘Kaali’ at a conference of a media house in Kolkata on Tuesday. “For me, Kali is a meat-eating, wine-accepting goddess,” she said at the conclave. On Wednesday, she stood by her remarks, asking the BJP to “bring it down” and in a tweet declared: “I am a black worshiper. I am not afraid of anything. Not your ignoramus. Not your goons. Yours. Not the police. And certainly not your trolls. Truth doesn’t require back-up forces.” While BJP workers filed complaints against him in Bengal, opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari promised more and said the saffron party would wait for 10 days before going to court.
Reiterating his disapproval of his remarks, Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said on Wednesday: “The party does not approve the poster of the film ‘Kaali’, it is unacceptable to us. We also do not approve of Moitra’s statements on the matter.” This is the official position of our party. Our party is secular, it respects all religions.”
“It is to take care of the FIR against him against Moitra, but till the BJP (suspended spokesperson of the party) takes action. Nupur Sharma for his comments against Prophet MuhammadHe has no right to speak (on this issue).”
Some reports on Wednesday suggested that Moitra had unfollowed the Trinamool Twitter handle, but people close to her called the report “misleading”. He said that Moitra is still following the Twitter handle of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “She has always followed the CM and is still following him,” said a senior aide.
In Madhya Pradesh, the action against Moitra and Manimekalai was taken after state Home Minister Narottam Mishra warned a day earlier that an FIR would be lodged if the posters of the film “Kaali” were not removed. “Why is Hindutva always a soft target? Why don’t they speak about other religions? This conspiracy to demean our gods has been going on for a long time,” Mishra said on Wednesday, adding, “If Mohua Moitra is so courageous, then he should speak in similar language about other religions. These people are from the same tukde-tukde gang that wants to defile Hinduism as the country is united under nationalism. ,
The FIR against Moitra was lodged by a police complainant, 52-year-old Ram Chandra, a Bhopal resident, who said his “obscene comments” had hurt the religious sentiments of him and other Kali devotees. Jagrat Hindu Manch convenor Durgesh Keswani and some members of the organization had filed a complaint against Manimekalai.