Guwahati:
Multiple police cases have been filed in Assam against Leena Manimekalai, the director of the documentary “Kaali”, whose poster has sparked controversy. At least two Assam-based organizations claimed that Leena Manimekalai hurt religious feelings with the poster, police sources have added.
The “Hindu Suraksha Manch” and the “United Trust of Assam” jointly filed a police complaint in Guwahati, demanding immediate action against the filmmaker for “harming religious feelings” with the poster of her documentary, police sources added.
On June 5, a new complaint was made to the Geetanagar Police Station by Kumtumb Surakhsa Mancha.
The complainants said the poster depicts the goddess Kali in a way that is “unacceptable to any Hindu” and that it was a “deliberate distortion of Hindu religion and culture with the evil intent to offend Hindu religious sentiments”.
Another case was filed in Lucknow by the Uttar Pradesh Police. Cases have also been brought against her in Delhi.
The documentary’s poster, shared on social media by the Madurai-born filmmaker, shows a woman dressed in a costume depicting the goddess smoking a cigarette. A flag of the LGBT community can be seen in the background.
Amid outrage in India, the Indian High Commission asked Canadian authorities to withdraw the disrespectful depiction of Hindu gods on display as part of the ‘Under the Tent’ project at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto.
“We urge the Canadian authorities and event organizers to withdraw all such provocative material,” said the Indian High Commission in Canada press release.