On October 24, Bajrang Dal activists barged into the old jail premises of Bhopal, where the shooting of the third season of web series Aashram starring Bobby Deol was being shot. The activists ransacked the set and threw ink at director Prakash Jha on allegations of insulting Hinduism. The organization has objected to the name of the web series.

A video of the incident is being circulated on social media platforms where the activists could be seen ransacking the sets. The Police said that the activists also threw ink on director Prakash Jha. The Police intervened and controlled the situation.

Irshad Wali, DIG Bhopal, said that no complaint had been filed by the team that was shooting in the old jail premises or by the crew members who got injured during the incident. He said, “We are identifying those involved based on the videos available, and action will be taken against all those involved.” So far, the Police has detained four people in the case.

Sushil Sudele, VHP convenor for central India, argued that permission was given by the Madhya Pradesh government for the shoot to promote tourism. The govt did not give anyone permission to defame the Hindu religion. He objected to the portray of a Hindu guru in the previous seasons where he was seen abusing women.

Sudele said, “Does he have the guts to make such a film on a church or madarsa? Who does he think he is?” He added, “We have been assured that the title of the web series will be changed and based on it, we will review our stand.” Sudele further suggested Bobby Deol to learn from his elder brother Sunny Deol who has performed in several patriotic movies.

Sushil Surhele said the activists of his organisation will not allow the shooting of 'Ashram' in Bhopal.

“Prakash Jha wrongly portrayed the arrangements in a Hindu Ashram in its previous seasons by showing the exploitation of women by gurus. There have been Ashrams in sanatan dharma since the past thousand years that played important role in building social values. There is no truth in what has been shown in this web series," he said.

Ashram faced criticism on social media

When the web series Aashram’s first season was released on MX World, it faced severe criticism over the portray of Hinduism. Several social media users complained that the trailer portrays a rather negative picture and is targeted against the Hindu faith. The hashtag #BanAashramWebSeries had trended on Twitter. In December last year, the Jodhpur court issued notices to the makers of the series over a case filed against them for the wrong portrayal of Hindu saints.

References:

Outlookindia.com -  Outlook Web Bureau
Theweek.in - By PTI
Opindia.com - OpIndia Staff