Darjeeling, July 26: Indian Idol - III producers now face a police probe for dressing up Darjeeling boy Prashant Tamang as a chowkidar.
The chief judicial magistrate’s court today asked Darjeeling police to find out whether Fremantle Production Asia, the producer, and Sony Entertainment Television, the broadcaster, showed the Gorkha community in poor light. The investigating officer has to submit a report on July 31.
In the episode telecast on July 19, Tamang, a Calcutta police constable, recreated a scene from the 1974 film Kasauti and sang Hum bolega to bologe ke bolta hai . But his attire sparked off angry protests.
Lawyer Taranga Pandit filed a case against the Fremantle general manager and Sony managing director, accusing them of wilfully insulting the Gorkha community. The case was registered under sections 153A (promoting enmity bet-ween classes and races) and 153B (imputations, assertion prejudicial to national integration) of the IPC. Offences under these sections are non-bailable and can bring jail for up to three years.
Noella Edwards, also a lawyer, said the CJM has accepted that there is a prima-facie case.
“If the CJM has ordered a probe, we are bound to obey,” said Darjeeling superintendent of police Rajesh Subarno.
The residents of Batasia organised a protest rally in Darjeeling today in which hundreds participated. The traditional dress of the Gorkha community is the daura suruwal, not the uniform of a chowkidar with a baton and a Nepali topi, they said.
The chief judicial magistrate’s court today asked Darjeeling police to find out whether Fremantle Production Asia, the producer, and Sony Entertainment Television, the broadcaster, showed the Gorkha community in poor light. The investigating officer has to submit a report on July 31.
In the episode telecast on July 19, Tamang, a Calcutta police constable, recreated a scene from the 1974 film Kasauti and sang Hum bolega to bologe ke bolta hai . But his attire sparked off angry protests.
Lawyer Taranga Pandit filed a case against the Fremantle general manager and Sony managing director, accusing them of wilfully insulting the Gorkha community. The case was registered under sections 153A (promoting enmity bet-ween classes and races) and 153B (imputations, assertion prejudicial to national integration) of the IPC. Offences under these sections are non-bailable and can bring jail for up to three years.
Noella Edwards, also a lawyer, said the CJM has accepted that there is a prima-facie case.
“If the CJM has ordered a probe, we are bound to obey,” said Darjeeling superintendent of police Rajesh Subarno.
The residents of Batasia organised a protest rally in Darjeeling today in which hundreds participated. The traditional dress of the Gorkha community is the daura suruwal, not the uniform of a chowkidar with a baton and a Nepali topi, they said.
