Sikhs Attack MTV
Monday, June 16, 2008 (Mumbai)
A group of over 200 Sikhs attacked the office of the music channel MTV India in south-central Mumbai on Monday afternoon to protest a defamatory poster, police said here.
The protesters were objecting to the poster of a show called On the job, a career-based reality programme, a MTV spokesperson said. The poster was put up Monday afternoon.
The poster showed a woman massaging a man while a Sikh youth looked at them.
Around 100 members of the Sikh community attacked the office of music channel MTV in central Mumbai on Monday to protest against a 'defamatory' poster. One of the MTV staffers sustained minor injuries.
The poster, which was put up all over Mumbai to advertise the music channels new career-based reality show 'On the Job', was also placed outside the office. It portrayed a woman massaging a Sikh man who peeped through a door and the tagline of the poster was 'Jobs your parents won't understand'.
"The poster has offended members of the Sikh community. They reached to office to ask MTV to pull down the hoardings but there was an argument which later led to stone throwing and destruction of property," said Sunil Deshmukh, senior police inspector of Matunga police station.
Sixty nine members of the community were arrested by the Bhoiwada police for rioting, but were taken to Matunga police station because of the lack of space.
"They have now been released on bail," said Deshmukh. "We have no idea about their objective or motive behind this act. We have lodged a complaint with the necessary law enforcement agency," said Aashish Patil, general manager of MTV India.
The protesters broke into the office of the music channel around 3.30 pm and went on rampage. They tore posters, broke in after damaging a glass entrance, dragged the furniture placed in the lobby on to the road and then destroyed it while shouting slogans.
"They overturned the reception desk and even threw computers and other equipment inside the office. We are completely taken aback," said an MTV staffer.
