Shiv Sena continues hatemongering, disrupts Pakistani play in Gurgaon

It seems attacking innocuous singers, artists and writers from across the border has become far-right Shiv Sena's favourite spare-time activity, for after ensuring that Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali's concert was cancelled in Mumbai and Pune, a video has gone viral showing how over half-a-dozen young men, claiming to be Shiv Sainiks, disrupted a play by a group of Pakistani actors at Leisure Valley Ground in Gurgaon on Saturday.

The Hindu reported that the actors of Pakistani Group, 'Mass Foundation', were holding a play, Baanjh, based on Indo-Pak dispute over Siachen glacier when half-a-dozen young men claiming to be Shiv Sainiks climbed up the stage at around 8:30 PM, started raising slogans against Pakistan and even uprooted the national flag of the Islamic Republic.

Gurgaon police on Sunday arrested four Shiv Saina workers in connection with the attack.

Watch the video here:

"We initially thought that it was part of the play. But we soon realised that they wanted to disrupt the play when they uprooted a Pakistani flag placed on the stage. They also raised slogans against Pakistan and in favour of India. But the organisers of the play soon brought the situation under control and pushed them off the stage and the play was completed," Satyabir Singh Rohilla, Public Relations Officer, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Even as the Shiv Sainiks were disrupting the play, the audience present at the venue objected to their behaviour, asking them to leave the place at once.

Rohilla said that the two policemen who were supposed to look after the security were nowhere to be seen while all this was happening.

Aamir Nawaz, the director of the play, however, was unperturbed by the incident.

"We have been coming to India since 2008 and staged plays in different parts of the country such as Amritsar, Kurukshetra and Rohtak. We have been to other parts of the world as well, but enjoy performing in India as we share common culture," Nawaz said.

Talking about the recent incidents of threats against Pakistani artists, actors and singers, Nawaz said in order to defeat such extremist elements, we should increase the cultural exchange between the two countries.

"Even Pakistani media has created a lot of hype about these incidents and our family members were worried about our security. But we were not worried at all."

The group is expected to perform at Azad Bhawan in Delhi on Monday.

Terming the incident "unfortunate", MCG Art Consultant V D Trikha said,

"We should not protest against the artists. They belong to all. We have also been to Pakistan several times and got lot of love and affection of the people there. I am happy that the audience present at the play objected to the conduct of those trying to disrupt the play."