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 Activists
of Hindu rightwing groups went on rampage in several north Indian
cities Monday to protest Hollywood superstar Richard Gere hugging
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, while a hitherto unknown fringe group
damaged the STAR TV office in Mumbai to protest the presence of a
Muslim boy and a Hindu girl on the media group's premises.
Shiv
Sena members attacked a press conference Monday being addressed by
Shilpa in Mumbai in the wake of Gere giving her a surprise hug and peck
on her cheeks at a show organised in New Delhi Sunday to create AIDS
awareness amongst truck drivers. They also burnt the effigies of both
actors and demanded that the Hollywood actor should leave the country
immediately.
A shocked Shilpa, who was shooting for her movie,
reacted angrily over the burning of the effigies and the protests by
the Shiv Sena across the country.
"If protecting Indian
culture and tradition means burning our effigies, please go ahead and
carry on with your protests. But, our culture also teaches us to imbibe
'Atithi Devo Bhava' (the guest is god)."
"I was completely taken
aback. My work was disrupted. The set was damaged. I know it is blown
out of proportion. I feel people are overreacting. Don't misuse the
freedom of expression in a democracy," she told media persons.
Defending
Gere, she said: "He was just trying to strike a dancing pose. In India
entertainment means song and dance, so he was trying to do something
entertaining. That's it. He didn't try to kiss me on my lips. He was
just giving me a peck on my cheeks.
"I know it is a trivial issue. Somebody is trying to do something for your country and you are treating him so badly."
"I
don't understand why are we making an idiot of ourselves by blowing it
up. We will look like an idiot on British media. Whatever has happened
is wrong," said Shilpa, who has been in news after winning the British
reality TV show "Big Brother".
Apart from Mumbai and New Delhi,
sporadic protests were seen in Kanpur, Jaipur, Varanasi, Meerut and
Indore by so-called guardians of morality.
"This is an
intolerable and obscene act. It is against the values, culture and
traditions of the nation. Gere must apologise," said a protester at
Indore.
"This act has hurt the sentiments of people. This should
not have happened publicly," said another protester. People came out on
the streets in hundreds to protest and burned the effigies of Gere.
They are demanding that he apologise to Shilpa and the country.
Meanwhile,
a group of activists belonging to the Hindu RashtRiya Sena ransacked
the office of leading media house STAR TV in Mumbai protesting the
presence of a Muslim boy and a minor Hindu girl from Surat in the
studio.
The attackers smashed nearly 30 cars parked outside the office and also damaged office furniture, the police said.
"We
condemn this attack on our office by certain antisocial elements. They
completely ransacked the STAR News Office in Mumbai today, injuring our
security and other staff and causing huge financial damage," said STAR
CEO Uday Shankar.
"It is alarming that people are using such
means to register their protests. We believe that this is in reaction
to our coverage about a young eloped couple from Surat."
Police said that 35 people had been detained in the case and action would be taken.
Maharashtra
Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who rushed to the STAR TV
headquarters soon after the incident, told reporters: "We will not let
any one get away with attack on the media in the state. The culprits
will be brought to book by tonight.
"One Dananjay Desai, the
self-proclaimed leader of the group who has several criminal cases
against him, will be picked up soon."
"We have information on
the Hindu Rashtriya Sena, it has some activists in Pune and we sill
soon crack down on them," said Patil who also holds the home portfolio.
Indo-Asian News Service
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