Police file a case over alleged hurting of Hindu sentiments

Hyderabad: The police filed a case against a group of people for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community at Neredmet police station. It was after the screening of the documentary ‘Ram ke Naam,’ in Sainikpuri. The development comes two days before the Ram Temple inauguration in Ayodhya.

The documentary is about the Ram Mandir and Babri Masjid issues. The screening was organised by Hyderabad Cinephiles, a movie enthusiasts’ group. The case was booked against persons who organised the screening of a documentary at an institution in Neredmet.

A complaint was made by Ruthvik Pandrangi, a member of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, claiming that the screening of the documentary was aimed at creating a communal issue ahead of the Ram Temple inauguration.

In his complaint, he mentioned that in the documentary, derogatory statements were made against Hindus and also the VHP organisation.

The police invoked Sections 290, 295A, r/w 34 of the IPC. Following the complaint made from the place of screening, the police arrived and stopped the event.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Cinephiles said that they were set to screen and discuss Anand Patwardhan’s ‘Raam ke Naam’, a documentary. The screening had not even reached the midpoint when some people came and disrupted it. They were pointing their fingers at the organisers and participants, yelling, stating that it was illegal to screen this movie and that their religious sentiments were hurt. They tried to pull and tear the screen.

“We tried to explain that it is not a banned movie and that it is available on YouTube, but they were not ready to listen. The police booked a case. This is a direct attack on our democratic rights. We witnessed the same religious fanaticism portrayed in the film today,” said Anand Singh and Parag Varma, members of Hyderabad Cinephiles.