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| Miss Anara film not showcased in Jammu under threat from Shiv Sainiks | | |
Jammu, June 22
Much awaited Friday on 22June witnessed the expected chaos in the walled city on the formal screening of the ‘Miss Anara’ based on the real life sketch of former Miss Jammu, Anara Gupta. The movie could not be screened in hometown while it was released today across the nation. Police had to resort to mild lathi charge in Pacca Danga area as activists of Hindu Shiv Sena.
The city witnessed token protests organized by two factions of Shiv Sena, one led by Anan Sharma and the other headed by Krishan Manhas in old city area. The day witnessed the activists of Shiv Sena raising slogans against the cinema screening and also disturbed traffic at various places in the walled city. The agitated protestors also torched the effigies of Anara Gupta. Police had to resort to mild lathi charge in Pacca Danga area when activists of Hindu Shiv Sena forced to go ahead and entered into scuffle with policemen deployed there.
The film, based on the real story of Anara, who was kept in a police lockup in Jammu for 11 days in 2004 on charges of having allegedly appearing in a porno compact disc and of luring other girls to flesh trade, caved in under threat of hardliners, including different factions of Shiv Sena.
Both the factions under different heads were concurrently had come against screening of the said movie in the city of temples and were bent upon taking a moral high ground claiming that the exhibiting of the movie would send a wrong signal and affect mindset of the city youth.
“We will continue to hold protest demonstrations if attempts were made to showcase the movie before investigations were over",Anan Sharma state president of the Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray said after burning the effigy of Anara Gupta.
Krishna Manhas said, “We are protesting because we feel since investigations in the porno-CD case were still pending it was not appropriate to showcase the movie.”
The two factions had earlier dished out a threat to the local theater owners that if they showcased the film their theatres would be set on fire. The Shiv Sena leaders said, “We have protested against the exhibition of the film because it could influence the fresh investigation which had been directed by the High Court.” They said, “its release in Jammu could create law and order problem.”
It may be mentioned that in her real life story producers of the film Miss Anara had endevoured to highlight the plight of Anara and the mental trauma she had passed through at the hands of the police officials who were investigating the much hyped Case of Porno CD Case. The former beauty queen of Jammu had filed a writ petition in the High Court and after a prolonged legal battle she won freedom from police questioning.
Weeks before the date for its countrywide release was announced people in Jammu were looking forward to watching the movie on big screen but after the threat from the Shiv Sainiks the cinegoers were left high and dry.
One Shiv sena activists Manhas had also sent a legal notice to the Chief Secretary and the District Magistrate Jammu seeking ban on the exhibition of Miss Anara film under the state’s Cinemetograph Act.
News agency also added that Anara Gupta, on a telephonic conversation from Mumbai, said, “I am happy the world will watch from Friday the level of torture she was subjected to in the police lockup. I am grieved over the way a section of people in Jammu have forced theatre owners not to show case my film, which is based on facts and nothing else.”
She said, “I wish my people in Jammu could see the film and understand the ugly face of the police. I feel they are under the influence of some police officials who stand exposed in the film.” I also want to ask these Shiv Sainiks why are they protesting when they had nothing to do with the film nor the probe, Anara said.
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