Play postponed at AMU after posters depict India map wrongly

A controversy over the display of a map of India, with parts of Jammu and Kashmir missing, stalled the staging of a play on the country's partition at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here, authorities said.

The play, penned by famous Hindi playwright Asghar Wajahat and scheduled for Sunday evening at the AMU drama club, was put off after objection was raised over its publicity posters carrying the erroneous map.

The matter came to light a day earlier when Manvendra Singh, the vice-president of BJP's Brij Prant regional committee, pointed out that the posters carried an erroneous map of India without portions of Jammu and Kashmir.

Left red-faced, AMU authorities immediately pulled out all posters and issued notices to staff associated with the drama club.

AMU spokesman Prof Shafey Kidwai said the president of the drama club Dr Vibha Sharma and Abdul Mannan of the cultural education centre have been asked to submit their response on this matter.

Kidwai told PTI that the play titled "Jissay Lahore Nahin Dikhya --" has been performed in many countries of the world but banned in Pakistan after protests by Muslim hardliners.

The play, he said, highlights the tragedy of the partition of India and makes a strong plea for cross cultural bonds of undivided India.

It has in the past been performed at the AMU and several other cities of India. A decision regarding the holding of the play will now be taken only after investigation on the poster issue is cleared, he added.