M’luru: Moral policing on the rise, after Police Officer now Journalist targeted; two arrested
Mangaluru: Even after the newly inducted Congress government's formation of the 'Anti-Communal Wing' instances of moral policing have been on the rise in coastal districts, within days of the case of obstructing and insulting police personnel in Vitla, a similar case of moral policing of a young reporter of the city in the name of religion has come to light.
The Mangaluru Police have arrested Chetan Kumar (38) a resident of Kotekar and Naveen (39) a resident of Yeyyadi in connection with the incident, a case has been registered against the accused under the sections 506 and 507. The police have also informed that among the arrested Chetan was employed as a mason.
The incident which has come to light late, happened on July 26, when a young reporter Abhijit who was employed in a local website, was coming out after having lunch with a lady who was his college classmate in a hotel near Kavoor Junction at around 3 PM, an unknown man came and started insulting him using derogatory words and saying “why are you talking to a Beary, are you a Beary, and if you’re leave from here.” Following which Abhijit showed his Daijiworld Reporter ID card, and the unknown man continued to insult him using foul words.
On the same day, in response to this incident, Abhijit filed a complaint with the local police station, he had noted down the vehicle number of the unknown man’s car. Police Commissioner Kuldeep R. Jain who took the matter seriously, and as per his directions, the accused person, Chetan, was apprehended and taken into custody for questioning. On June 28, he was charged under FIR, and subsequently Chetan, a resident of Kotekar, was arrested and granted bail later.
Abhijit, who gave information about the incident, said, "I had finished lunch with my friend and was coming out of the hotel when two strangers approached us in a car. One of them used derogatory words and insulted us despite me telling him about myself as a journalist and showing my ID card. I had noted down their car number and filed a complaint. The local police and even the Commissioner of Police, along with the Assistant Commissioner of Police, have assisted in the case," he said.
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'Sarke Chunar' row: Sanjay Dutt apologises; to sponsor education of 50 tribal girls
New Delhi (PTI): Actor Sanjay Dutt on Monday appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with the controversy over the song 'Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke' and submitted a written apology, expressing regret for any "unintended" harm caused to society.
During the hearing, held under NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission raised concerns over alleged vulgarity and indecent representation of women in the song from the movie "KD The Devil" and questioned issues of intent, awareness and accountability.
The chairperson emphasised whether adequate due diligence was undertaken before participating in content that could be perceived as promoting objectification of women, while also underlining the responsibility of senior and influential public figures in ensuring that their work remains within the bounds of legal and societal standards.
As a corrective measure, Dutt committed to sponsoring the education of 50 tribal girl children as part of efforts towards social welfare and women's empowerment, the NCW said in a statement.
He also assured the commission that his future artist agreements would include mandatory legal due diligence provisions to ensure dignified and appropriate representation of women and children in films and related creative projects.
Actor Nora Fatehi, who was also summoned, could not appear as she is currently abroad and has sought a fresh date for the hearing.
On April 6, other individuals associated with the song, including director Kiran Kumar alias Prem, lyricist Raqueeb Alam and representatives of KVN Production Company Gautam K M and Suprith, appeared before the commission and submitted their apologies.
The NCW underscored that while artistic freedom is important, it must be exercised with responsibility and sensitivity, reiterating the need for accountability in content reaching wide public audiences and reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the dignity and representation of women.
The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, drew public ire for its sexually explicit lyrics.
After the outrage, the makers deleted the Hindi version of the song from YouTube, although it was widely played and shared across various platforms.
Fatehi, in a video later, distanced herself from the song, saying she shot the video for the Kannada version and her permission was not taken to use it in the Hindi version. The lyricist, singer and the director also apologised.
The issue was brought up in Lok Sabha during Question Hour by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Anand Bhadoria last month.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song was already banned and the government was ready to take action against such vulgarity.
"KD The Devil" is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will release on April 30. The film features Dhruva Sarja, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, and Dutt.
