An FIR was registered yesterday (23rd November) at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh against two executives of OTT platform Netflix for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through its web series, A Suitable Boy, which showed kissing scenes purportedly on the campus of a temple. The Netflix officials named in the FIR are Monika Shergill, vice president, content, and Ambika Khurana, director, public policies, according to Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra.
The two have been booked by the Rewa police on a complaint filed on 21st November by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national secretary Gaurav Tiwari who demanded an apology from Netflix and makers of the series, and removal of “objectionable scenes”, which he stated were also “encouraging love jihad”. “Kissing scenes (filmed) inside a temple of Lord Maheshwar (a historic town in Madhya Pradesh) have hurt the sentiments of Hindus. This is also encouraging ‘love jihad’,” Tiwari had stated. The six-part series is directed by Mira Nair. The FIR was registered under section 295 (A) (malicious acts to outrage and insulting the religious feelings and beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in Rewa.
