The police in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow have filed a case against the makers of net series Tandav and the head of media service airing it following it not too long ago ran into controversy more than scenes allegedly insulting Hindu gods.
The case invokes stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly advertising enmity on grounds of religion and defiling location of worship, and names the director, the producer and the writer of the show Tandav, and the head of India Original Content, Amazon.
The complaint has been filed at Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station by a sub-inspector who is also posted there.
Soon following the case was registered, media advisor to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Shalabh Mani Tripathi shared a copy of it on Twitter.
“There is no tolerance for playing with people’s sentiments in Yogi Adityanath’s Uttar Pradesh. A serious case has been registered against the entire team of Tandav, which is spreading hate in the guise of cheap web series. Prepare for arrest,” he wrote in Hindi.
जन भावनाओं के साथ खिलवाड़ बर्दाश्त नहीं, घटिया वेब सीरीज की आड़ मं नफरत फैलाने वाली वेब सीरीज तांडव की पूरी टीम के खिलाफ योगीजी के उत्तर प्रदेश में गंभीर धाराओं में मामला दर्ज, जल्द गिरफ्तारी की तैयारी !! pic.twitter.com/V9ZewGNOHw
— Shalabh Mani Tripathi (@shalabhmani) January 18, 2021
According to the complaint by the policeman who filed the FIR, action was initiated when he alerted senior officers about several Twitter comments crucial of the series Tandav’s content, and was ordered to watch it.
The complaint states that in the 17th minute of the very first episode, “people dressed up in a very bad manner to represent Hindu gods and goddesses and have been shown to speak in a very uncalled for language… that hurts religious sentiments”.
In the similar episode there are “conversations that lead to caste conflict, there are similar scenes in many other episodes. In the web series, the character of the person occupying the high post of India’s Prime Minister has been shown in a very indecent manner… The series depicts lower and higher castes and scenes that insult women, and the intent… seems to be to hurt religious feelings of one community and to spread conflict”, the complaint reads.
The case in Uttar Pradesh was filed hours following the centre’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reportedly sought a response from Amazon Prime on a complaint filed by Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam.