Samta Parishad, RPI activists hold protest against 'Aarakshan'

Six members of Maharashtra PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal's social organisation and 15 workers of RPI were today arrested on charges of unlawful assembly after they held protests for stalling the release of Prakash Jha's upcoming flick Aarakshan, police said.

Terming it "anti-dalit" and "anti-reservation", the protesters staged demonstrations at Mahim and outside the Andheri-based office of the film director Prakash Jha, which was later provided security, they said.

Policemen were also deployed outside the residence of Saif Ali Khan who plays a lead role in the film, police said.

At Mahim, members of the All-India Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad blackened the hoarding of the film and also tore the posters, raising slogans against the director and the film.

"All the six belonging Samata Parishad were arrested after the protest and later granted bail," R M Desai, senior inspector at Mahim police station told PTI.

Bhujbal, who is the state Public Works Department Minister and a prominent OBC leader from the Nationalist Congress Party, heads the Samata Parishad.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes had recently dubbed Aarakshan, a socio-political drama based on the reservation in jobs and educational institutions in the country, to be released on August 12, as "anti-dalit".

Prakash Surve of the Samata Parishad said, "The movie should be banned as it can hurt the sentiments of the backward classes. Reservation is concerned with the existence and pride of the backward classes".

In Andheri, the Republican Party of India workers held demonstration outside the office of Jha when they were rounded up, police added.

"15 persons of RPI were picked and taken to Amboli police station," said Additional Police Commissioner Vishwas Nagre Patil.

Saying 15 RPI activists were arrested and later released on bail by the police station, Deputy Police Commissioner Pratap Digaokar added, "The protesters in Andheri termed the movie as anti reservation as well as anti-dalit".

Aarakshan, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan in lead roles is a socio-political drama based on the caste-based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.