Gujarat: FIR against unknown persons for threatening fashion designer for performing yoga at Golden temple

Archana Makwana also said she had done nothing wrong, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should withdraw its complaint against her for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Vadodara: A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against unidentified persons for giving death threats to a city-based fashion designer who is facing a criminal case after performing yoga at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on June 21.

Releasing a fresh video statement, designer and social media influencer Archana Makwana also said she had done nothing wrong, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) should withdraw its complaint against her for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Based on her complaint about threats, an FIR under Indian Penal Code section 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) was registered at Karelibaug police station on Wednesday night, an official said.

As the police categorised it as 'sensitive', the FIR could not be accessed by the general public on the state home department's website.

"She claimed that unknown persons gave her death threats through email, WhatsApp and Instagram after photos showing her doing 'shirsasan' (head-stand) at Golden Temple went viral. No suspect has been named in the FIR," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Panna Momaya.

Makwana visited the Golden Temple on June 21, International Day of Yoga, and performed yoga on its 'parikrama' path. The photos of her act soon went viral.

Two days later, the SGPC filed a complaint against her for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, and an FIR was registered against her under relevant sections by Punjab Police.

Makwana then apologised through a video, saying she never intended to hurt anyone's religious sentiments.

On June 24, Vadodara police provided her protection as she started receiving death threats.

In her latest video released on social media platforms, Makwana asked the SGPC to withdraw the complaint against her.

"Thousands of Sikh devotees were there when I performed yoga. Even the person who clicked my photos was a Sikh, and the Sevadars (office-bearers) of the temple did not stop him. The feelings of those who were present there and watched me doing yoga did not get hurt. So I believe that I have not done anything wrong," she said in the video.

The trouble started when some persons outside India made her photos viral saying that the people's sentiments were hurt by her act, Makwana said.

"My intention was not bad. The FIR filed against me by the SGPC is baseless. It was not written anywhere in the temple that such acts are not allowed. I went there for the first time. Had I been told, I would have deleted those photos right away. I want the SGPC to withdraw its FIR, or else I and my legal team are ready to fight this case," she added.