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'Chhapaak': Religion of acid attacker changed from Muslim to Hindu?

'Chhapaak': Religion of acid attacker changed from Muslim to Hindu?

By Siddhant Pandey
Jan 08, 2020
08:56 pm
What's the story

After actor Deepika Padukone was slammed for attending a protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University, her upcoming film Chhapaak has become the center of a heated communal debate. Several Twitter users have alleged that the film, based on the true story of an acid attack survivor, changes the name of the perpetrator from "Muslim to Hindu." Chhapaak is releasing this Friday. Here are more details.

Details

Rumors surface that 'Chhapaak' changed acid attack perpetrator's name

Some Twitter users have claimed that the name of the acid attack perpetrator was changed in Chhapaak to Rajesh, commonly a Hindu name, in a bid to defame Hindus. The film is based on the true story of Laxmi Agarwal, who was attacked with acid in 2005 as a minor by a man named Naeem Khan alias Guddu.

Legal notice

This is defamation, says BJP MP Subramanian Swamy

Terming the alleged name change "defamation," BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said an advocate, Ishkaran Singh Bhandari, is drafting a legal notice against Padukone and Chhapaak's producers. Bhandari said he has directed his office to find out the name used for the acid attack perpetrator in the film. He threatened the film with legal notice if the perpetrator's name is that of a different religion.

Clarification

However, journalist who viewed premiere screening debunks claims

However, Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri, who has watched the premiere of Chhapaak, clarified that the film makes no such change. Sekhri wrote on Twitter, "I watched the screening last night and can tell you with certainty the religion of attacker has not changed. The film has remained accurate to the case." He added, "Shocking (or maybe not) that such demonstrable misinformation is carried."

Information

Acid attack perpetrator named 'Bashir Khan' in 'Chhapaak': Report

A film reviewer, who also watched a pre-screening of Chhapaak, told The Quint on the condition of anonymity that the acid attack perpetrator in the film has been named 'Babboo' aka 'Bashir Khan'. The Quint's own correspondent corroborated these details after having watched the film.

History

Padukone faced backlash after attending JNU protest

Padukone briefly attended a JNU protest on Tuesday in support of students brutalized in an attack by masked goons. The attack was claimed by a far-right Hindu outfit. Right-wing trolls have since attacked Padukone, calling to boycott Chhapaak. BJP's Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Bagga also popularized the #TanhajiChallenge, a give-away of free tickets to the screening of Tanhaji, which releases the same day as Chhapaak.

Twitter Post

You can view Bagga's tweet here