Punjab bans 'Nanak Shah Fakir' release for 2 months

CHANDIGARH: Punjab government on Wednesday banned the screening of Punjabi film "Nanak Shah Fakir" for two months, citing "widespread resentment against the film among Sikh masses".
The movie, based on the life and teachings of Guru Nanak, was scheduled to be released on April 17.
The AKali Dal government's decision came two days after Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikh religion, sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government to ban the film.
In a communication to Modi and Union information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar claimed that the film violated Sikh tenets.
A government statement said there were protests and demonstrations against the movie that "was being perceived to go against the religious tenets and Maryada of the Sikh community".
The government also said the reports on resentment were corroborated by intelligence inputs from the state agencies which also apprehended a threat to peace and social harmony in the state in the event of the film being released.
"In the light of these reports and inputs, the government has decided to suspend all screening, distribution and viewing of the film for two months in the larger public interest to safeguard the age-old emotional bonds and preserve complete peace and social harmony among people professing different faiths in the state," it said.
The suspension comes into force with immediate effect and will apply to all forms of public and private exhibition, distribution and viewing of the film in the state.