From rxpgnews.com
Man who fought for 'Parzania' release missing
By IANS,
Mar 22, 2007 - 5:33:50 PM
Ahmedabad, March 22 - The man who had filed a criminal complaint against Babu Bajrangi for obstructing the Gujarat release of 'Prazania', a film about communal violence of 2002, has been missing, though police and his family do not yet suspect the Hindu rightwing leader to be behind it.
Natubhai Acharya, a retired government officer and social worker, had last month lodged a complaint against Bajrangi, a Bajrang Dal leader, in Mehsana, abut 100 km from here.
'We last saw him on March 17. He used to travel around the - district for his social work. Sometimes he would make a night halt but usually he would be back the day after. This time he has not come back for a week or so,' Acharya's son Yovan told IANS Thursday.
While the family has lodged a complaint with the police, Yovan maintained that they did not suspect Bajrangi's role in the matter.
Mehsana Police Inspector R.R. Pathak said Acharya's disappearance was being investigated and printouts of his mobile phone records were being collected.
He added that police do not suspect Bajrangi's hand in this case at this juncture.
Acharya in his complaint had blamed the Narendra Modi government for failing to take suitable steps to facilitate the release of 'Parzania' in the state. He had alleged that Bajrangi was running a parallel government and threatening theatre owners not to show the film.
'The atmosphere of peace and harmony prevails in the state and the film, which is based on a Parsi boy missing since 2002 riots, will not disturb peace in the state,' he added in his complaint.
'Parzania', directed by US-based Rahul Dholakia, had a worldwide release Jan 26, but theatre owners in Gujarat refused to screen it allegedly after receiving threats.
Bajrangi is a prime accused in the massacre of 89 people at Naroda Patiya locality on the outskirts of the city on Feb 28, 2002 - the most gruesome incident of sectarian strife in the state that year.
Though he has been associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad - and the Bajrang Dal in the past, both organisations have disowned him.
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