“India Is Secular”: Bombay HC Orders BMC To Restore Dia Mirza’s Diwali Video As Political Row Deepens
Bombay HC orders BMC to restore Dia Mirza’s pollution-free Diwali video. Opposition parties target BJP, which objected to the clip. Here’s the full story.
The Bombay High Court has ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to put Dia Mirza’s pollution-free Diwali video back on its social media platforms. The court said Mirza had acted in line with its own directions, and that the BMC did not need to react in a “knee-jerk” way to the objections.
How The Row Began
Mirza recorded the video at the BMC’s request, appealing to citizens not to light firecrackers on public roads. It was one of several clips the civic body commissioned from public figures. After political objections, the BMC removed only her video. According to reports, Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam questioned the need to involve the actor in a message about Diwali traditions, and Mayor Ritu Tawde defended the takedown and reportedly described the actor as “anti-Hindu”. Neither leader’s reaction to the court’s order had been reported at the time of writing.
The Opposition’s Response
Opposition leaders were quick to welcome the order. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aditya Thackeray said the BMC itself had written to Mirza, Ajinkya Rahane and Madhuri Dixit asking them to make videos, and asked how the administration was functioning if the Mayor now said she had not been aware of it. AIMIM’s Waris Pathan alleged that Mirza was singled out because of her surname, since the other celebrity videos remained online. Former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said Mirza, a UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, was invited by the corporation itself, and that the person in the mayor’s chair should represent all communities. Congress’s Bhai Jagtap and NCP (SP)’s Fahad Ahmed also criticised the BJP. These are the opposition’s allegations, and the court’s order does not itself rule on motive.
