Joined by B-town celebs, BJP protests 'Free Kashmir' banner

Joined by Bollywood actors, BJP workers on Wednesday staged a protest over the "Free Kashmir" placard displayed at a sit-in here against the JNU violence and shouted slogans against the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra.

A row had erupted when a woman, Mehak Mirza Prabhu, displayed a "Free Kashmir" placard at a demonstration held to denounce the violence at Delhi's JNU at the Gateway of India on Monday. Hundreds of people, including students, common citizens and activists, took part in the 34-hour-long demonstration.

Though Prabhu, a city-based script writer, later apologised for her act, the police on Tuesday booked her under IPC section 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration).

The opposition BJP had taken a strong objection to the display of the "Free Kashmir" banner in the city.

Carrying forward their protest over the controversial banner, a group of BJP workers assembled at the Veer Savarkar Smarak in Dadar, central Mumbai, and shouted slogans against the Sena-Congress-NCP government.

Bollywood actors Juhi Chawla and Dalip Tahil besides BJP leaders Sudhir Mungantiwar and Gopal Shetty, among others, were present during the protest.

Talking to PTI, Mumbai BJP vice-president Anil Thakur said, "Kashmir is the crown of our country and how can they demand a 'Free Kashmir'? A few people are just misguiding innocent people in the name of CAA, NRC and NPR. Today we are here to counter the "Free Kashmir" banner."