Sikkim MP condemns ‘racial’ slur against Nepalis in Paatal Lok, writes to Information Ministry

Sikkim Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba on May 25^th, 2020, demanded appropriate action against the directors and producers of ‘Paatal Lok’, an Amazon Prime Video web series for allegedly insulting the Nepali community.

“The derogatory and offensive label made in the particular scene of the series has not only hurt the sentiments of the community but has also set an example of racist stereotyping of the people from the community especially at this time where the people from the Northeast region have already endured racial assaults owing to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the MP said.

In this regard, the parliamentarian dashed off a letter to the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javedkar against the controversial video.

Also read: Sikkim: FIR against Bollywood celeb Anushka Sharma over ‘Paatal Lok’ dialogue

Saying that the dialogue is provocative, Subba said, “This is totally objectionable and highly condemnable.”

Besides, he said, despite number of Nepali speaking Gorkha jawans committed to protect our great nation, the identity and the image of Nepali speaking Gorkhas have been compromised with this kind of insensible and irresponsible derogatory statement.

On May 23^rd, 2020, an FIR was lodged by advocate Nazin Kiran Pradhan and Arun Limboo with the Gangtok Sadar police against the Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma for her dialogue in the web Series in Sikkim.

“Anushka made a very filthy, disrespectful, hurtful dialog is made by an actress against the Nepali community in an Amazon Prime Video Web Series ‘Patal Lok’ Season I, Episode 2 (Lost and Found). The dialog made at exactly 3 minutes and 44 seconds in the above mentioned episode is ‘Nepali Ilpot’ by character Manju Varma played by Miss Nitika Grover,” the FIR states, a copy of which is available with Inside NE.

Also read: Sikkim gets first COVID-19 testing lab, continues corona free status

 “The dialog is racial and communal. Further, it tries to create an atmosphere of enmity, hatred and ill-will among the different races, castes and communities,” the complainants claimed while condemning the matter.

It may be mentioned that the Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh, the youth wing of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, had recently started an online petition demanding that a scene in the series should be muted and the corresponding subtitle is uploaded again with a disclaimer as the scene contains a sexual slur directed at the Gorkha community.

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