Shankar Mahadevan

Bhopal, April 23: Last week, a harmless peck on the cheek from Hollywood star Richard Gere had raised their hackles. Last night, a music concert did it.

Culture cops forced singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan to call off his concert midway on Sunday, saying the songs were “vulgar” and the “blaring sound” was disturbing students preparing for exams.

“A Supreme Court directive says loud music cannot be played after 10 pm,” Bajrang Dal leader V.L. Tiwari said.

“When our bhagwati jagran and other religious festivities are not permitted late at night, how can he be allowed to perform?”

The show organisers tried to calm the saffron warriors, saying they had taken permission from police and district authorities, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

The police arrived on the scene soon after and tried reasoning with the gang. But in the face of the Shiv Sena-Bajrang Dal tirade, they turned into mute spectators.

Noticing the commotion, Mahadevan got off the dais after finishing the song, Breathless, and called off the show.

“I realised there was no other way, so I gave up. I was given to understand that organisers had done everything in order,” he said.

But the crowd wasn’t amused. They were powerless to protest against the Bajrang Dal, but there were rumblings of discontent all around.

Promila Tiwari, a student of a local college, said Bhopal was increasingly becoming a “tough city” to live in.

Police superintendent Dharamveer Yadav said he had not received complaints that the loudspeakers were bothering students. “There is no case against anyone.”

The saffron outfits had, however, seen nothing wrong in cooperative minister Gopal Bhargava playing host to sex workers in hometown Sagar, a little away from Bhopal.

Bhargava was in Sagar last Friday to supervise mass marriages and dole out Rs 5,000 each to 101 couples who tied the knot on Akshay Tritiya.

Dancers belonging to the Bedia tribe are believed to have gesticulated obscenely and played out erotic scenes from the Kamasutra during the celebrations. Several men, including Bhargava, were seen flinging currency notes at them.

“The girls were performing the Rai dance of Bundelkhand. It is like Kathak or Bharatnatyam, filled with passion and beauty. I do not think I have done anything wrong by inviting these dancing girls who are a regular feature in community marriages,” the minister said.

Bajrang Dal leaders refused to comment, saying they would not believe anything unless they saw it with their own eyes.