BMC takes down Dia Mirza's Diwali pollution video after BJP's Satam objects, row erupts

A civic awareness drive against Diwali pollution in Mumbai has become a political fight after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed a video of actor Dia Mirza from its social media pages on Sunday. The video was pulled within hours of an objection by Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam. The civic body has not explained why it acted.

The video belonged to a BMC campaign that promotes a Diwali with less noise and cleaner air and asks citizens to follow the directions of the Bombay High Court. In it, Mirza said: "Namaskar, the festival of Diwali is almost here. While celebrating, we must take care of both the environment and our health. The noise and air pollution caused by firecrackers harm all of us. I appeal to you to celebrate Diwali with joy, not with noise. Many Diwali greetings to you all!"

Only her clip has gone. Messages recorded for the same campaign by actors Madhuri Dixit, Nishigandha Wad and Harshada Khanvilkar, and by cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, are still on the BMC's X and Instagram handles. That has led to questions about whether the campaign's approach has changed, since a single video was singled out. The corporation is headed by Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide.

Satam tagged the BMC on X and wrote: "We do not need to learn from Dia Mirza how to celebrate Diwali. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture." When reporters contacted him, he said his objection had nothing to do with religious identity and was about nationalism. He called Mirza part of an "anti-India gang" and accused her of trying to destabilise the country. He added: "We did not need a sermon from her on celebrating Diwali. Since the Opposition has also joined hands with anti-India forces, its support or sympathy for its partner in this attempt to spread anarchy is natural."

Mirza has defended the video. "The video I made was for a pollution-free Diwali. What is there in it to criticise?" she asked, noting that the High Court had told the municipal body to carry out public awareness work on pollution. She also said: "Diwali is the festival of the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair. This video was recorded for awareness in the public interest, so that Diwali is celebrated in a healthier and wiser way. Air pollution is a public health issue, and every effort to reduce it is a step towards a better environment for everyone." Although the BMC deleted the clip, it continues to circulate widely on Twitter, where many users have reposted it to back her.

On Monday, Mayor Ritu Tawade addressed the matter. She said the celebrities were not paid for their videos and that she should have been shown the list of participants, but officials had put the clips straight onto the BMC portal. "The administration is certainly at fault in this," she said. Asked why Mirza alone was targeted, she said Mumbai takes all religions and castes along, but described this as a Hindutva matter, and said BJP workers would respond firmly to anyone speaking against Hindutva, whatever their religion, creed or caste.

Tawade said: "Dia Mirza has earlier opposed the Narmada project, the UCC and even statements by Prime Minister Modi. Dia Mirza should not tell Hindus how to celebrate Diwali. Her selective agenda is clear, and it is also clear that she is against Hindutva." She declared that Mirza would not be part of any official BMC event, and reportedly said she was voicing the stand of all BJP corporators. Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi is reported to have supported Mirza. Another account describes the mayor as having called the actor anti-Hindu.

Kishori Pednekar, Leader of the Opposition in the BMC and a former mayor, questioned why the video was deleted on Satam's say. "Who exactly is Amit Satam? Why is he so active in the functioning of the municipal corporation? The corporation must answer this! If the corporation has begun deleting its tweets out of fear of an MLA like Amit Satam, it would be better to remove the corporation itself!" she said.

Civic activist Zoru Bhathena said attention had moved from the message to the messenger. "Amit Satam has a problem not with the message but with the person spreading it. Satam has in the past too raised issues only on communal grounds," he said. Sumaira Abdulali, founder of Awaaz Foundation, which campaigns against noise pollution, asked whether a politician can simply undo civic work carried out on the court's orders. She pointed out that the High Court has said well-known people should be brought in to spread social messages without any fee.

Other politicians joined in. AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan hit out at Satam on X: "Mr Ameet Satam, why are you targeting only Dia Mirza, when Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad also made the same appeal on behalf of the BMC? Same appeal, same High Court direction, yet a different reaction? This is not standing up for tradition, it is selective outrage and a clear double standard. Why is Dia Mirza your target? Is it because her name is Dia Mirza?"

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said the row should not be viewed through the lens of any one community. In his words: "As I understand it, Dia Mirza is a film actor and belongs to the Muslim community, but this is not a matter of any particular community. India is a country where the Constitution given by Dr B.R. Ambedkar gives every religion the right to celebrate its festivals. Just as Muslims celebrate Eid and observe Ramzan, people of the Hindu community also take part in these celebrations. They respect the way Muslims celebrate their festivals. In the same way, Hindus celebrate Diwali. If firecrackers are not burst, the significance of Diwali may diminish somewhat. But we should also be concerned about excessive pollution."

Shiv Sena national spokesperson Shaina NC said citizens must keep pollution in mind and put health and safety first. "Dia Mirza, whose very name means light, should know that Diwali is called the festival of lights. Every citizen understands that it is important to be mindful of pollution and not burst firecrackers, so that we remain safe, because life and health come first," she said.

The dispute follows a September order of the Bombay High Court. During a hearing in the Ganeshotsav period, a bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale barred the bursting of firecrackers on public roads, day and night. The judges said festivals should pass without noise and air pollution, and called loudspeakers, DJs and laser beams in religious processions "totally unnecessary". The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the heavy noise and air pollution caused by processions. It asked: "Are all these loudspeakers and firecrackers going to bring us extra blessings from God? As a responsible society, we must stop all this." It also held that firecrackers on roads are dangerous and add to toxic pollution, and said: "There should be no firecrackers at all."