‘Kedarnath’ Love Jihad Row: Seven Uttarakhand Districts Impose Ban On Movie As Protests Intensify

With protests against the movie erupting in several parts of the state, seven districts in Uttarakhand have banned the screening of ‘Kedarnath’, Deccan Herald reported.

Addressing the media, ADG for law and order Ashok Kumar informed that the decision came after the District Magistrates (DMs) expressed concerns about public order in their respective areas.

Several effigies have been burned in the protests and the screening shall only intensify the protests, Kumar said. Among the districts where the film has been banned include Haridwar, Nainital, Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Almora and Udhan Singh Nagar. The DMs of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar were the first to impose the ban on Thursday (6 November).

Protestors allege that the film hurts Hindu sentiments and promotes love jihad as it depicts the story of a Muslim porter and a Hindu girl on pilgrimage. The movie is set in the backdrop of the 2013 flash floods that hit the holy Hindu shrine leading to 169 deaths and 4,000 missing since the disaster.