Punjab bans Da Code

CHANDIGARH: With the Assembly elections around the corner, electoral politics found its reflection in the Punjab government’s decision to ban the screening of The Da Vinci Code. The ban preempted any protests voiced by Christians in the state.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh took the decision following intelligence reports that showed religious sentiments of Christians in the state might be hurt.

So far, none of the Christian groups in the state has publicly demanded a ban on the movie.

The government order has also come as a surprise, because the movie was hardly known to many of the Christians here. There are around 2 lakh Christians in the state, who are predominantly from backward classes.BJP president Avinash Khanna said, “It seems to be an attempt by the Chief Minister to please Sonia Gandhi, though the movie’s screening was not a matter of debate in the state.”

Jagdish Chander, a film distributor in Jalandhar, said, “The ban has surprised us all, as the distributors had no intention of bringing the movie to the state.”

The Da Vinci Code will also be not released in Goa. "We are not releasing it (The Da Vinci Code) in Goa at the moment though it will be released all over India. In case of Goa, we have not taken the call," said Snehal Chitneni, head, Public Relations, M/S Inox Leisure Limited, which runs a multiplex in Panaji.