Dalits ask 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun'?

MUMBAI: In their reactions to the film, Dalit and Backward Caste leaders in Maharashtra took cues from Mayawati’s call to ban this film. “The government has banned words which suggest someone’s caste and if used will  be a criminal offence,” says Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

“People must realise that in India a cobbler is not a mere profession, it is a full fledged caste. The professions in our society connote the hierarchy of castes in the society and that is why a cobbler was considered lower than a goldsmith. This is definitely offensive,” says Avinash Mahtekar —Gen Secy, RPI (Athavle faction).
 
Members of the Charamudyog Kamgaar Sena protested against the objectionable lyrics outside Inox theatre at Nariman Point. “Once we heard of the ban, we checked the reel and removed the entire paragraph,”says Arun Bhatia, Inox spokesperson.