An FIR was filed in Muzaffarpur (Bihar) on 3rd October against the 49 celebrities who had written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the increasing cases of mob lynching in the country. The celebrities include Mani Ratnam, Aparna Sen, Anurag Kashyap, Konkona Sen Sharma and Shyam Benegal. The case was filed at Sadar police station on the basis of an order by the local court.
Advocate S.K. Ojha had filed a petition in the chief judicial magistrate court. The said court heard the matter and ordered the police to lodge an FIR. Advocate S.K. Ojha said that all the celebrities were named as accused in his petition as they allegedly tarnished the image of the country and undermined the impressive performance of the PM, besides supporting secessionist tendencies.
The celebrities, in their letter, had stated that the lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must immediately be put an end to. It also said, there was no democracy without dissent. The letter alleged that “Jai Shri Ram” had been reduced to a provocative war cry.