9 Arrested For Throwing Stones During 'Pathaan' Screening In Thane

Officials of Maharashtra Police on Sunday evening detained nine people, accused of sloganeering and pelting stones in front of a multiplex screening the movie 'Pathaan' in Maharashtra's Thane, police said.

According to the police, a group of people, believed to be from a right-wing organisation, were seen protesting against the 'Pathaan' movie, which was screened on 10 screens of the multiplex of Maxus Mall, near the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar Police Station.

"The protestors raised slogans and pelted stones at the ticket counter, damaging a few window panes," Mukund Patil, senior police inspector at Bhayanda Police Station said.

"Police have detained nine people, creating a ruckus at the Box office of Maxus Mall Bhayander, wherein the Pathaan movie was being screened on 10 screens at around 3.45 pm. They were Bajrang Dal Workers and were doing sloganeering against the movie and pelted stones too which damaged a few glasses of the ticket counter," Mukund Patil said.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's starrer Pathaan is facing a boycott across the country because of its song 'Besharam Rang'.

Last week, Bihar Police booked 25 persons, accused of agitating in front of a cinema hall against Pathaan movie in the State's Bhagalpur.

The men, believed to be from Hindu organisations, burnt and tore Pathaan movie's poster outside the Deepprabha cinema hall in Bihar's Bhagalpur, a day before the movie's release.

The youth tore the posters in the cinema hall and set it on fire, raising slogans of 'Film Chalega Hall Jalega'.

"The youth said that Hindutva cannot be compromised. Any element that opposes the Sanatan culture will not be tolerated in Bhagalpur including the whole of India," said the members of the Hindu organisation.

The members of the organisation added that if Pathan is shown in any theatres of Bhagalpur, it will be strongly opposed.

Earlier on January 5, members of a Right-Wing organization created a ruckus at Alpha One Mall in Ahmedabad's Vastrapur during the promotion of the film. The organization's members during their protest tore down pictures of Shah Rukh Khan as well as his co-stars.

The protesters also threatened the mall authority that if this film is released, then they will start an even fiercer protest.

The protesters were captured in a video damaging property of the mall. In a video shared by the VHP, protesters could be seen shouting slogans and tearing posters and large cut-outs of 'Pathaan's star cast.

The controversy started after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, aired his objections to one of the songs of the movie, released as 'Besharam Rang'.

Mishra said, "The costumes in the song at first glance are objectionable. It is clearly visible that the song of the film 'Pathaan' has been shot with a dirty mindset."

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