A complaint has been lodged at a Mumbai police station against ‘The Kashmir Files’ director Vivek Agnihotri over his “Bhopali implies homosexual” remark, demanding the establishment of an FIR for defamation and other crimes.
A police spokesman said on Saturday that the complaint was filed at Versova police station by journalist-turned-celebrity public relations manager Rohit Pandey through his lawyer Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh.
According to the complaint, the director of ‘The Kashmir Files’ insulted and degraded his (Pandey’s) own city of Bhopal by “willingly, wantonly, and deliberately referring to Bhopalis as homosexuals” in a media interview.
The written complaint was acknowledged by the official.
The complainant has requested that an FIR be registered against Mr Agnihotri under sections 153 A and B for promoting animosity between different groups, 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298 (Uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings), 500 (Punishment for defamation), and 505-II (Punishment for defamation (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes).
A video clip of Mr Agnihotri’s conversation with an online channel had gone viral ahead of his travel to Bhopal for a film festival on Friday.
Mr Agnihotri’s remark drew criticism from lawmakers and netizens, who said it was in poor taste and an insult to the people of Bhopal.