Mumbai, Mar 25 (UNI) Social media influencer Vikas Jayram Fhatak (Hindustani Bhau) filed a plea in the Bombay High Court seeking registration of a first information report (FIR) against Bollywood director and choreographer Farah Khan over her alleged remarks about Holi festival.
According to Fhatak's plea, Khan made a derogatory remark about the Hindu festival of Holi during an episode of 'Celebrity MasterChef' in February.
In his plea, Phatak contended that in this regard he had made a written complaint before the police, but it has failed to take cognizance of it.
The incident occurred on February 20 when Khan allegedly referred to Holi as “a festival for the Chhapris.”
Bhau has argued that the term “Chhapris” is commonly used as slang with derogatory undertones, implying a lack of culture, refinement and status.
According to the plea, Khan’s comment, which was made on a widely-viewed public platform, hurt the
sentiments of the Hindu community and has the potential to incite communal unrest.
The remark quickly gained media attention with outlets such as Firstpost highlighting public outrage over the statement.
Following the remark, Fhatak filed a formal complaint with the Senior Inspector of Police at Khar Police Station on February 21, requesting the registration of an FIR against Khan but no action has been taken to date, and no FIR has been registered by the police.
In this regard, the plea has claimed that Khan’s remarks violate several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including Section 196 (promoting enmity between different religious groups), Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), Section 302 (intentional wounding of religious feelings through spoken words or gestures), and Section 353 (creating or promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes, threatening public tranquillity).
He has urged the court to direct police to register an FIR against Khan and to also take action against police officials who failed to register FIR.
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