Assam man arrested for dressing up as Lord Shiva in street play on fuel price rise

A man was arrested in Assam’s Nagaon on Sunday (July 10) for allegedly hurting religious sentiments after he dressed up as Lord Shiva in a street play to protest against rising fuel prices and unemployment, a report said.

Birinchi Bora dressed up as Lord Shiva on Saturday while performing a skit with a female co-actor (who dressed up as Parvati) to protest against the price rise under the Narendra Modi government. The videos of their act were widely shared on social media, an NDTV report said.

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The play was criticised by Hindu groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, who held protests and later filed a complaint accusing the actor of hurting religious sentiments and misusing religion for political purposes. Following the complaint, Bora was detained and taken to Nagaon Sadar Police Station, the report added.

The report further said, in the play, ‘Shiva’ and ‘Parvati’ were riding a two-wheeler and at the designated spot for the play, the vehicle stops after it ran out of fuel. Then, an argument follows over the issue between the duo, where ‘Shiva’ starts to attack the Modi government over rising fuel prices and other issues.

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Bora will be presented in court while two others, suspected to be involved are yet to be nabbed, Manoj Rajvanshi, Sadar Police Station In-charge, was quoted as saying by ANI.