Anirban Bhattacharya
Credit: Facebook/Anirban Bhattacharya
Kolkata: A BJP leader here has lodged a police complaint against Bengali actor-singer Anirban Bhattacharya and his rock band 'Hooliganism', accusing them of mocking the 'Sanatan Dharma' and hurting religious sentiments at a recent performance, an officer said on Thursday.
The band's nearly six-minute-long satirical song, Tumi Mosti Korbe, Jani (We Know You Will Have Fun), performed in Kolkata on August 31, has gone viral on social media.
The song was critical of major political parties, flagging a range of social and political issues, including the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the communal tension in the country.
In his complaint, lawyer and BJP leader Tarunjyoti Tiwari accused the band of deliberately insulting religious beliefs.
"Lyrics in Anirban's song were made not as casual commentary but with deliberate intent, thereby insulting my religious beliefs and the sentiments of millions of Sanatanis. It was done intentionally for cheap promotion of his band by hurting our sentiment," Tiwari stated in his complaint with the Kolkata Police's Cyber Section.
He has urged authorities to invoke penal provisions under applicable laws.
Bhattacharya is a film star known for movies like Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway and Dasham Avatar.
The song has also taken sharp jabs at political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, TMC's Kunal Ghosh and CPI(M)'s Shatarup Ghosh.
Despite the BJP leader's outrage, leaders from other parties named in the song appeared unfazed.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh responded lightheartedly.
"Why will I get angry? I rather had fun. I enjoyed listening to this style of song. Stay well, Anirban," the TMC leader said.
Similar was the response of CPI(M)'s Shatarup Ghosh. "I am happy that I was one of the characters in that song. I enjoyed listening to it." Several calls to BJP's former West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh went unanswered.