A case was registered against four Bajrang Dal activists who tried to stop and obstruct Telugu film critic Mahesh Kathi at a theatre in Hyderabad for allegedly having made objectionable comments earlier.
Police on Friday said that a case was registered against the four people on charges of creating nuisance and obstructing Mahesh. Policemen, on security duty at the cinema hall, took the four Bajrang Dal activists into custody.
Further investigation was ongoing, police added.
Last week, Mahesh Kathi was booked by the Hyderabad cyber crime police under Sections 505 (1) and 505 (2) (statements conducing public mischief) of the IPC, after his remarks on Hindu god, Lord Rama, triggered a fresh row.
Earlier this month, the film critic was invited to speak at an event in Osmania University in Hyderabad. At the event, Mahesh suggested that in the version of Ramayana written by Valmiki, Rama’s favourite dish was peacock’s leg and deer meat.
"Do you think that Sita ran after the deer to pray to it? It was to eat," he had told the gathering.
A video clip from his speech had gone viral on social media, prompting many right-wing organisations to file a police complaint against him.
This is not the first time that the film critic finds himself in a controversy. In 2018, he had called Rama a 'cheat' during a TV debate. He had also said that Sita would have been 'better off' with Ravana, which had triggered tension in the city as right-wing groups demanded strict action against him.
At the time, Mahesh Kathi was banned from entering Hyderabad for a period of six months, by the city police, which cited the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act, 1980.
PTI inputs