The Indian High Commission urged the Canadian authorities to withdraw the ‘derogatory depiction of Hindu deities’ showcased at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto as part of the ‘Under the Tent’ project.
“We urge the Canadian authorities and the event organizers to withdraw all such provocative material,” the Indian high commission’s press release said.
The poster of Leena Manimekalai’s documentary film ‘Kaali’ made many headlines on social media as many people claimed that it hurt their religious sentiments how the poster depicts Goddess Kali.
The Madurai-born, Toronto-based filmmaker shared the poster of his film on Twitter earlier this week, in which a woman dressed as Goddess Kali was seen smoking a cigarette, with a flag representing the LGBT community in the background.
“Our Consulate General in Toronto has conveyed these concerns to the event organisers. We are also informed that several Hindu groups have approached authorities in Canada to take action,” the release said.
The filmmaker faced legal challenges after a police complaint was filed against him for hurting religious sentiments through his documentary poster.
Social media users have raised the demand to take back the poster. The hashtag #ArrestLeenaManimekal trended on Twitter, and some people even demanded strict action against him. The sign also received reactions from activist Rahul Easwar, who said it was a ‘hate poster’.
“This is spreading hate against the Hindu community and defaming our deities,” Easwar said.
“Liberty comes with sensitivity; freedom comes along with responsibility, can we live in the world without being sensitive, respectful and responsible? What happened with the Kali poster is that Leena created a hate poster against Hindu community. She’s purposefully demeaning, defaming one of the most revered deities of Hinduism, Kali Maa,” Easwar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
An FIR was registered by the UP Police against her as well. The Delhi Police cell also filed an FIR against her citing that her actions hurt religious sentiments.