The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has sent a legal notice to Netflix and producers of the web series A Suitable Boy for intentionally hurting the religious sentiments of Shias by showing desecration of a 'tazia' (replica of Imam Husain's mausoleum) in one of the episodes. The web series has been directed by Mira Nair and distributed by BBC Studios. It is available on Netflix.
The Board, through its notice, has demanded that the producers should remove the scene from the web series and issue a public apology. The AISPLB said that a scene in episode four of the series shows deliberate desecration of the 'tazia' which has hurt the sentiments of not only the Shia community but also of all those Hindus, Husaini Brahmins and Sunnis who observe Muharram and hold 'tazia' in high regard.
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"If the said scene, which is available for public viewing on various online platforms, is not deleted and a public apology by the makers and distributors is not issued, criminal proceedings under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) would be initiated against the offenders," the notice said. The section includes charges and actions for deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.
A copy of the notice has also been mailed to the Union minister for minority affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and the Union minister for information, Anurag Thakur, for their intervention in the matter.
