With the followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s sect Dera Sacha Sauda demanding that the Punjab Government revoke the ban on his film, MSG: The Messenger, the State is again staring at a possible confrontation between sect followers and Sikh organisations.
After a protracted legal battle, the film was finally released across India on February 13. Released in over 3,000 cinema halls across the country, the film has done good business so far – netting nearly Rs 100 crores.
The followers are now demanding its release in Punjab as well and have set February 26 as deadline for the government and have threatened protests thereafter. In a concerted effort, they have started approaching the Deputy Commissioners in various parts of the State and submitted memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in support of their demand.
A Dera spokesperson said lifting of the ban is being sought to enable the followers to watch the movie. Ever since the trailer of the film had released in December, Sikh organisations who have been staunch opponents of the Dera head claiming that he had hurt their sentiments by dressing up as Guru Gobind Singh once, had protested against it with the temporal seat, Akal Takht calling for a ban on its release.
Subsequently, in January the Union Home Ministry had also issued an advisory about the release of the film causing unrest in Haryana and Punjab and then the Punjab Government had banned its release.
The film was originally scheduled for release on January 16 but was delayed as the Censor Board had referred it to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, which only viewed and cleared it a day earlier.
Subsequently, some Sikh organisations also moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court demanding a stay on the release but had twice declined the plea saying the movie did not contain any offensive content.
