On Thursday, a team of Uttar Pradesh Police, which has reached Mumbai to investigate a case filed against the makers of the web series ‘Mirzapur’ has complained that they have been denied the requisite permission by the Mumbai police.
A three-member team of UP Police has been probing a case filed in the Kotwali Dehat police station of Mirzapur district in Uttar Pradesh. Following their arrival in Mumbai, they have accused the Mumbai Police of not co-operating in the investigation process. The UP Police team informed that whenever they visited the Crime Branch office in Andheri, the nodal officer aka DCP would remain unavailable. As such, they failed to get the necessary permission, required to proceed with the investigation.
The UP team then went to the Khar police station and visited the residence of actor Farhan actor in Khar West. They were also accompanied by a Mumbai police constable. On learning about the development, the Mumbai police swung into action. Reportedly, a senior IPS officer instructed the local DCP who in turn asked another senior official at the Khar police station to intervene. Far from cooperating, the Mumbai police reached the actor’s house, asked the UP police team to ‘leave immediately’ and return only after taking the required permission.
FIR registered against Mirzapur for hurting religious sentiments
A team of Uttar Pradesh police arrived in Mumbai to investigate the FIR against ‘Mirzapur’ on Thursday. The case was lodged, following a complaint by one Arvind Chaturvedi, who said that the web series hurt his religious sentiments, displayed abusive content, promoted enmity in the society and presented the district of Mirzapur in poor light.
Reportedly, the First Information Report was registered against Farhan Akhtar, Bhaumik Gondaliya and Ritesh Sidhwani. The Uttar Pradesh police booked the trio under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 295A (deliberate attempt to outrage religious sentiments), 504 (insult with an intention to breach peace), 505 (public mischief) and relevant sections of the IT Act.
SC issues notice to makers of Mirzapur
The Supreme Court has sent a notice and sought responses from the makers of the web series and the OTT platform, on a plea complaining over the portrayal of Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district in a bad light. The petition was filed by one Noida-based lawyer SK Kumar, a resident of the Mirzapur district in Uttar Pradesh. Kumar accused the makers of “maligning the image of Uttar Pradesh”. He said that Mirzapur has been depicted “as a den of terror and illegal activities”.
The petitioner also raised strong objection to the distasteful portrayal of women in the web series. The series showed a woman hailing from the district having a sexual relationship with the servant and her father-in-law as well. “By showing such ridicules and shameless things on the name of a city district is the insult of approximately 30 lakh population and rich culture of Mirzapur,” added the plea.
The show’s first season was launched on Amazon Prime Video on November 16, 2018. The web series depicts the putrescence and rule of mafia dons, and the rivalry and crime prevailing in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. Its second season was released in October last year.
