Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal justified the banning of the controversial movie Messenger of God (MSG) by his government, stating that peace and harmony must prevail in the state.
"We want to see peace and harmony. If there is no peace and harmony, the citizens will say that we did not bring in peace," Badal told mediapersons.
The release of the movie, which stars Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, saw a wave of protests from various groups in Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi.
Earlier this week, members of the Censor Board tendered their resignation, citing alleged 'interference, coercion and corruption' by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) after the latter cleared the controversial film.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcast, however denied the allegations, stating that the government has a hands off policy when it comes to decision making at the CBFC.
