Kerala man in UAE gets calls from across the world after his number was flashed in ‘Sacred Games’
Dubai: An Indian man in Sharjah is having sleepless nights as his phone keeps ringing with unwanted calls from around the world after his mobile number was flashed during the second season of the blockbuster web series "Sacred Games" on Netflix.
Kunhabdulla CM, a 37-year-old Keralite who works for a local oil company, had his phone number flashed as fictional gangster Sulaiman Isa's number in the first episode of the new season released on August 15.
"I have been getting incessant calls on my phone for the last three days from India, Pakistan, Nepal, the UAE and around the world. I don't know what is happening," Kunhabdulla told the Gulf News.
"Hearing my phone ring sends shivers down my spine. I want to cancel my number. I want this problem to go away," he said.
Kunhabdulla has never heard of "Sacred Games", the popular series on Netflix starring award-winning actors like Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Khan plays a Sikh cop in the series while Siddiqui is a Mumbai-based crime lord.
"What's Sacred Games? A video game? I work from 8 am to 7pm. I don't have time for such things," Kunhabdulla said.
"I got more than 30 calls today [Sunday] and it's draining my battery. In the last one hour, I got five calls asking for someone called Isa...Who is Isa? I don't have anything to do with him," he said.
Kunhabdulla's number went public in the scene where an undercover Indian agent from Kenya hands a chit to Ganesh Gaitonde (Siddiqui) bearing the number of dreaded gangster Isa.
Although the number was not visible on the small piece of paper, the subtitles gave it away.
Shortly after the story was published, Netflix, the American media-services provider and production company, wrote to the Gulf News, saying that they had removed Kunhabdulla's number.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused. As soon as we were alerted to the situation, we resolved the issue and removed the phone number from the subtitles," Netflix said in a statement to Gulf News on Monday.
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Hate speech Bill: Ready to provide clarification to Guv, says Home Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the government is ready to provide any clarification to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Prevention Bill awaiting his assent.
"We have already informed the Governor and have provided him with all kinds of explanations. If he seeks more clarification, then we will give that to him," Parameshwara told reporters here.
Explaining the bill, the minister said this is a bill that has been brought with foresight.
"It is against those who create confusion in society by making unwanted statements. Plus, there are fallouts of such statements. It impacts society. Hence, we brought the bill after discussing it extensively," he added.
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The minister said that while presenting the bill in the Assembly, he had explained it.
"The opposition BJP had opposed the bill. We have sent it to the Governor to pass it. He can ask for any clarification. We are ready to answer them," Parameshwara said.
According to the bill, any expression, which is made, published or circulated in words either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic communication or otherwise, in public view, with an intention to cause injury, disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against person alive or dead, class or group of persons or community, to meet any prejudicial interest, is hate speech.
The bill has a provision for a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh and a jail term of up to seven years.
