Kashmiri Pandit groups seek ban on 'Haider'

Kashmiri pandit groups on Tuesday sought a ban on the recently-released Bollywood film 'Haider' as they felt the song 'Bismil' had portrayed the ancient Sun Temple (Martand Temple) of Kashmir as a devil's den and hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus all over the world.

The Sun Temple, build in 370 AD, one of the only two Sun Temples in India, with the other one in Konark in Odisha, according to reports.  

Haider is directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and co-written by a Kashmiri author Basharat Peer. The All Parties Migrants Co-ordination Committee (APMCC), an amalgam of different Kashmiri Pandit gropus, staged a protest in Jammu against the screening of the film.

The committee also accused Bhardwaj of conspiring to 'denigrate the 1,700-yearold Hindu temple and sought a ban of the film. They also demanded an unconditional apology from the producer and director of the film and questioned how the Censor Board of India and the Archaeological Survey of India had cleared the film.

The groups reportedly condemned Bhardwaj for allegedly 'hatching a conspiracy to denigrate the 1700-year-old Hindu temple in Kashmir'.  

The committee plans to issue a legal notice to the producer, CBFC and ASI for 'defaming an ancient Hindu temple and hurting religious sentiments of Hindus.'