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GURGAON: A group of 10 men claiming to be Shiv Sena members stormed a Gurgaon theatre and disrupted a play featuring Pakistani performers, Times of India reported.
The 'Shiv Seniks' allegedly marched on stage and threw away a Pakistani flag that was being used a prop in the play called 'Baanjh', while shouting "Long live India, death to Pakistan".
The men also demanded to know why the organisers had invited Pakistani performers to act in the play.
Although two policemen had been assigned to provide security for the play, they were absent from the scene at the time of the incident, organisers said.
MCG Public Relations Officer SS Rohilla said, "We had given an application to Sector 29 police station and they had sent only two cops to spot but they were no nowhere to be seen when this ruckus happened. The miscreants claimed to be from Shiv Sena but we doubt that. Even then, since there were actors from Pakistan, security should have been better."
MCG Consultant Vishav Deepak Trikha said, "These men came in and started shouting 'Hindustan zindabad, Pakistan murdabad'."
"The play was disrupted for about 10 minutes, but it took us hardly 1-2 minutes to quieten the protesters down. They asked us, 'Why did you invite theatre artistes from Pakistan?' But they were only shouting slogans and didn't do any damage."
'Baanjh' playwright Afzaal Nabi said, "We came here with a message of peace. The interruption did bother us but the play went ahead and we were appreciated by the audience. That is what matters."
Actors in the play said people in the audience had been quick to protect the actors from the protestors.
Actor Zoya Qazi said "The support made us happy."
Station House Officer Sector 29 police station Ashok Kumar said no written permission had been sought.
The incident occurred just days after far-right political group Shiv Sena attacked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters last week just before Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan was to meet BCCI chief Shashank Manohar to discuss a bilateral series slated for December.
Earlier in October, Shiv Sena activists attacked Sudheendra Kulkarni, the organiser of former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch in Mumbai just hours before the event was to take place.
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On DawnNews
Comments (65) Closed
Oct 25, 2015 11:44am
Shame on these shameless people.
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Oct 25, 2015 11:45am
These elements are threat to the peace.....in the country...
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Oct 25, 2015 11:45am
The best line in this report is "The people from the audience came to protect the actors". The people on both side of the border are reacting opposite to what SS is promoting. This is quite a puzzle for both SS and their alikes in Pakistan.
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Oct 25, 2015 11:50am
Do we have similar plays and dramas in Pakistan too where Indian actors/artists come for performance? I wonder what would be the situation like given the hatred among the current generations.
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Oct 25, 2015 11:50am
SS losers' way of remaining relevant and in the news - cheap.
Thanks Pakistani artists - please do not let these thugs disturb or distract you from your message of peace. We love your plays, your scripts and acting.
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Oct 25, 2015 11:52am
These incidents brought nothing but a bad name to India
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Oct 25, 2015 11:53am
Shining India
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Oct 25, 2015 11:53am
Lol India.
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Oct 25, 2015 12:18pm
These people are nothing but political stooges of lost parties. They are being grossly helped by the kind of publicity Pakistani and Indian media is giving them, prompting them to cause further communal disharmony. My sincere request is to stop giving them publicity and they will disappear. Indian public is not interested in these petty acts.
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Oct 25, 2015 12:23pm
I am a Pakistani . I don't hate India. I do love the people of India. and I m not the only one here there are more like me.
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Oct 25, 2015 12:25pm
Shivsena determined to bring justice 26/11 victims no regrets
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Oct 25, 2015 12:30pm
Pakistani actors are really having a hard time in india...serves them right
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Oct 25, 2015 12:31pm
@raj We have them all the time. My favourite performance, in fact, was Naseeruddin Shah sahab. We tend to welcome Indian musicians, dancers and actors - the cultural similarities alone warrant a common dialogue.
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Oct 25, 2015 12:31pm
What happened to the silent majority of people in India? How come they do not stop these goons!
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Oct 25, 2015 12:36pm
Indian hospitality ladies and gentlemen
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Oct 25, 2015 12:45pm
Every activity of SS will come to a halt once elections in some states in India are over.
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Oct 25, 2015 01:02pm
@raj Dude check out Sonu Nigam's trip to Pakistan - and then come back here and comment.
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Oct 25, 2015 01:04pm
@raj
Actors and common people from India are given lot of love and respect in Pakistan, visit to see it for yourself.
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Oct 25, 2015 01:32pm
@Rahber have you even read the article? It clearly says people from audience came to protect artists.
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Oct 25, 2015 01:37pm
@raj visitors from India are always treated with decency. A few years ago when many came to watch a cricket match, taxi drivers would not even charge them for the ride. This was reported by Indian newspapers.
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Oct 25, 2015 01:50pm
Why our actors must perform where they are not desired?
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Oct 25, 2015 02:00pm
@Bipul - Showing actual news is not "publicity ". You can't brush off such issues and like a pigeon close your eyes on spotting a cat. You can only begin to do something once you acknowledge you have got a problem. By remaining indifferent, they are only getting encouraged.
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Oct 25, 2015 02:04pm
The tele tele sign is the police officers simply disappeared from the scene. Clearly its all Indian government sponsored. Government of Pakistan is simple reckless allowing its citizens to visit India when clearly India is not safe country to visit. FO should raise travel advisory to India at once.
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Oct 25, 2015 02:11pm
@rizwan atta thanks friend..wish more people like you came forward..mocking each other for everything is just so juvenile..
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Oct 25, 2015 02:31pm
What an embarrassment and shame for their Indian hosts! I suggest government of Pakistan should officially put a ban on all Pakistani performers to visit India whosoever invite them to perform there until relations between the two nations gets normalize.
The silence from India's saner elements also shows tacit approval for the goons of Shiv Sena.
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Oct 25, 2015 02:33pm
Another incident of Orange shirts (brown Shirts) running around.
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Oct 25, 2015 02:39pm
@Bipul I totally agree, but the media is not going to stop they want to give the dumb down audiences sensational news. May be we need to have few more broadminded folk on both sides of the border.
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Oct 25, 2015 02:43pm
@Rashid Truly , especially the part where the audience shielded the actors and supported them. Truly shining.
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Oct 25, 2015 02:48pm
@Bipul - Showing actual news is not "publicity ". You can't brush off such issues and like a pigeon close your eyes on spotting a cat. You can only begin to do something once you acknowledge you have got a problem. By remaining indifferent, they are only getting encouraged.
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Oct 25, 2015 03:27pm
India is not what it used to be an year ago.
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Oct 25, 2015 03:34pm
Why is BJP government silent over such brinkmanship?
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Oct 25, 2015 04:38pm
We should rather have those plays, meetings, movie shootings in melting pots like Dubai.
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Oct 25, 2015 04:45pm
Why are these dudes coming to India to make a living? Can't they take a cue that they are unwanted in India?
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Oct 25, 2015 04:50pm
@Bipul I think only portraying them "few people" is not right. Their influence overcomes majority. You have seen Ghulam Ali concert was cancelled in Mumbai, BCCI cancelled meeting, they disrupted Shah Rukh Khan movie etc etc.
We were also of the view that Taliban and extremist are "few" but it gave us tough time and took a decade to eliminate them. We have learned lesson from these "few". Wake up India and learn lesson too, before they teach a lesson to majority.
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Oct 25, 2015 05:00pm
It is clear that a section of indians do not want pakistanis in India at this time. In order not to create further hatred, I feel pakistani artists should avoid coming to India for some time
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Oct 25, 2015 05:10pm
@rizwan atta ...salute to you and your tribe Rizwan. My mother was born in Pindi and we love Pakistan too !
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Oct 25, 2015 05:12pm
@Another Indian They are NOT coming by their own. They are being INVITED. learn the difference.
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Oct 25, 2015 05:18pm
@rizwan atta i am Indian and we Indians too love Pakistanis ..
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Oct 25, 2015 05:21pm
What to say it all happening too frequently we may have to wait till Modi is out.
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Oct 25, 2015 05:26pm
Indian Shev Indian Sena (ISIS) is threat to Indian democracy and if not checked it will lead India to fascism.
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Oct 25, 2015 05:29pm
@raj You should watch some Pakistan shows on ut when Indian actors like N Shah Om Puri etc visit Pak not only they are loved and mobbed by fans but they frequently participate in Pakistani shows and the public reaction is quite opposite...Pakistan public has forgotten the hatred of the partition Indian is going opposite direction...when I meet Indians from Punjab I can't believe the love and affection they have for the people and the land left behind...despite religious differences they still feel they were separated by force and have no enmity... I don't who wants to keep this fire burning...
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Oct 25, 2015 05:40pm
that is condemnable.
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Oct 25, 2015 05:45pm
@raj - There is no hatred for Indian actors in Pakistan. Yes, they do perform on stage every now now and then and showered with accolades from public not hooliganism India is known for.
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Oct 25, 2015 05:47pm
Highly condemnable
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Oct 25, 2015 05:49pm
Got to wait till Modi's agenda of rabid nationalism comes back to bite them.
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Oct 25, 2015 06:01pm
@Rashid
Don't try to score brownie points with cheap remarks. The news item also says: "The people from the audience came to protect the actors".
An intelligent person would have noted this line.
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Oct 25, 2015 06:17pm
Religious bigotry, self righteousness, and mis-placed zeal call it whatever i.e. Taliban,ISIS or Shiv Sena, basic ideology is one and the same. Unfortunately India is getting afflicted with this cancerous ideology of extremism and intolerance. Indians should realize this cancer of religious bigotry will hurt the very body that is harboring it. People should stand up to all such ideologies of hate and intolerance if they want a reasonable functioning society.
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Oct 25, 2015 07:07pm
The caption of this story is, " threw away a Pakistani flag, Long live India, death to Pakistan", you can not expect peace from such a vandal mentality. Care to think if national pride is subservient to culture and arts. Can art and culture exist without a country?
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Oct 25, 2015 07:08pm
@Another Indian Stop inviting them, that would bring some sense
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Oct 25, 2015 07:22pm
@Rashid , indeed it's shining. Didn't you read that the audience came forward to protect the actors?
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Oct 25, 2015 07:38pm
Who is really in charge of India? The government of India or Shiv Sena? Because if the government of India allows you to come and work there in something by approving your visa that should normally be enough. Does any Pakistani coming to India need to apply for a special visa from Shiv Sena as well?
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Oct 25, 2015 09:20pm
If Shiv Sena continues such (violent) demonstration and tactics to gain support and popularity in India, they are in clouds; bound to fail. Just a matter of time, when people (millions of fair minded Hindus) will revolt against them. Note the history, the country as whole has always welcome other religion and culture. Hindu culture since its outset works under the philosophy - live and let live; world is a big family.
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Oct 25, 2015 09:58pm
How much they hate Pakistanis......
They should be shameful
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Oct 25, 2015 10:00pm
We gave much respect to Indian actors....
But what are they doing with our actors....
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Oct 25, 2015 10:04pm
Indians should not have to behave like that to Pakistani
Actors they are not politicians , theirs job is to just perform....not more
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Oct 25, 2015 10:25pm
Shiv Sena and other extreme right wing religious outfits are shame on India. I do not agree with their politics. I do not hate Pakistan. I want to assure readers of this news paper that there are millions in India who think that way They have warm feelings towards Pakistani peoples.The hooliganism of Shiv Sena hopefully will be short lived. India is a large country. Its ability to absorb is infinite. These elements too have a shelf life/expiry date.
Thnx.
HWS
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Oct 25, 2015 11:58pm
I don't know if it's religion influence or what it is but fact is, Indian and Pakistani people do possess two different mentalities.
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Oct 26, 2015 12:11am
Such miscreants bring a bad name to India. They need to be washed out.
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Oct 26, 2015 12:27am
Shiv Sainiks should also protest against South African Cricket team for giving such a thrashing to India in the final ODI in Bombay yesterday. Poor losers.
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Oct 26, 2015 01:56am
RSS and the likes will do in India what Nazis did in Germany. Fearful majority will stay silent.
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Oct 26, 2015 02:12am
These fundamentalist will damage India; the same way as Gen Zia did to Pakistan through religious fanatics. Mr Modi appears to be loosing control.
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Oct 26, 2015 02:13am
Shameful and regretful. There is no sena or anything, its just a bunch of vehlas.
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Oct 26, 2015 02:58am
I am an Indian . I don't hate Pakistan . I do love the people of Pakistan. and I m not the only one there are many more like me.
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Oct 26, 2015 04:45am
People need to understand. During recent elections Shiv sena was put to place by bjp. Bal saheb is no more. The cousins split the vote base. Bjp arm twisted them badly. Ever since S's is a wounded tiger making noise on pm and needs to keep itself relevant. All this noise is purely because of this.
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Oct 26, 2015 06:51am
They should be called shivless seniks because shiv does not do that
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