More than 2 months ago, 49 celebrities–including Anurag Kashyap, Konkona Sen, Aparna Sen–had together written an open letter to the PM raising concerns over the rise in cases of mob lynchings and religious intolerance in the country.
Aparna Sen, one of the signatories to open letter to PM Modi: We’re anxious about the state our country is in today. All over India people are being lynched, why people of different faiths are being forced to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’. pic.twitter.com/Fd2X3wyHjk
— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2019
At the time, 60 celebrities–including Kangana Ranaut, Prasoon Joshi, Madhur Bhandarkar–had written a counter open letter blaming the 49 signatories.
61 personalities including actor Kangana Ranaut, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Classical Dancer and MP Sonal Mansingh,Instrumentalist Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Filmmakers Madhur Bhandarkar& Vivek Agnihotri write an open letter against ‘selective outrage and false narratives’. pic.twitter.com/RGYIxXeJzS
— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2019
Additionally, a case of sedition and public nuisance had also been filed against them in a Bihar court, by petitioner Sudhir Kumar Ojha. And now, Chief Judicial Magistrate Surya Kant Tiwari has accepted his petition and an FIR has been lodged against the celebrities, which includes Mani Ratnam, Shyam Benegal, and others.
The CJM had passed the order on 20 August, accepting my petition upon the receipt of which an FIR was lodged today at the Sadar police station here
As of now, none of the 49 signatories have responded to the sedition charges.
