Viral video shows crowd in cinema hall pledging to boycott Muslims, draws flak
Vasai (Maharashtra) (PTI): A video, purportedly from Maharashtra’s Palghar district, showing people in a cinema hall chanting slogans and pledging to boycott Muslims socially and economically has triggered strong reactions.
Reacting to claims by a Congress MP that the viral video was shot in a cinema hall in Vasai on March 10, a senior police official from the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar (MBVV) Police Commissionerate told PTI on Tuesday that the veracity of the video is yet to be ascertained.
“We are not sure where it was shot and believe it could be mischief by some unscrupulous elements,” the police official said.
The MP claimed that the video shows a group of people taking the oath to boycott Muslims after watching the controversial film 'The Kerala Story 2'.
Syed Naseer Hussain, a Rajya Sabha member of the Congress, shared the video on X.
“In Vasai, Palghar, after a free screening of the film The Kerala Story on March 10, participants reportedly took a collective oath calling for the economic and social boycott of Muslims.
“The continued encouragement of propaganda-driven narratives under the BJP government has increasingly targeted Muslims and deepened communal polarisation. When cinema is deployed as a political instrument to stigmatise an entire community, it risks turning prejudice into organised discrimination and further emboldening anti-Muslim sentiment,” he said on X.
“India’s democratic ethos rests firmly on secularism, equality and fraternity. Calls for economic or social boycotts of any community strike at the very spirit of the Constitution of India and must be firmly rejected to preserve the plural and inclusive character of our Republic,” the MP said.
Another user @Nher_who posted on X: “In Vasai, Hindus took an oath to boycott Muslims economically & socially after watching Kerala Story. This was the only motive of the Movie which it has achieved.”
He said fuel and oil come from Muslim countries. Even maths has a Muslim contribution, he added. “Will they boycott petrol, diesel, and maths now?” he asked.
Since its release in 2023, The Kerala Story, and its sequel released in February this year, have been at the centre of intense political and cultural debate. Supporters claim the films expose uncomfortable truths, while critics argue that they exaggerate and promote divisive narratives.
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South Africa beat India by six wickets in 1st Women's T20I
Durban (PTI): South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt struck a fluent 51 as the hosts defeated India by six wickets in the opening Women's T20I here on Friday.
Chasing a modest 157/7, built around captain Harmanpreet Kaur's 33-ball 47, South Africa overhauled the target in 19.1 overs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen (44 not out) shared a crucial 52-run stand for the third wicket, which formed the backbone of the comfortable chase.
Earlier, India got off to a brisk start through Shafali Verma, who made 34 off 20 balls, while Jemimah Rodrigues (36 off 29) and Harmanpreet stitched a 71-run stand to lift the total.
Brief scores:
India 157 for 7 in 20 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 36, Harmanpreet Kaur 47 not out; Ayabonga Khaka 3/16).
South Afrcia 158 for 4 in 19.1 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 51, Annerie Dercksen 44 not out; Shreyanka Patil 2/26).
