The posters smeared with black paint at the cinema hall in Malda on Friday. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, Feb. 12: The screening of My Name is Khan in a cinema hall here was disrupted temporarily today after more than a hundred men, claiming to be Shiv Sena supporters, came shouting slogans against Shah Rukh Khan, tore down the posters and smeared black paint on the actor’s picture.

The first show of the nation-wide release of the movie was scheduled to begin at 2pm here. However, the crowd assembled in front of the hall at 1pm and began the protest. Shops in the vicinity immediately downed shutters, fearing attacks on them as well.

The owner of Lachhmi Ghar, the hall located at Puratuli here, had to shut down. But the show resumed at 5pm under police protection.

“With saffron cloths tied to their foreheads, they suddenly gathered shouting out that Shah Rukh Khan is not a patriot and that the film should not be allowed to be screened. They had brought along several pots of black paint and splashed it on the posters. They were in the area for about half-an-hour,” said Rajat Saha, the owner of a betel shop near the hall. There were no policemen at the spot when the protesters came. They also tore down the posters at the foyer of the hall.

The owner of the hall, Jayanta Pal, said the first show had been sold out but he could not begin the screening because of security reasons. “We are refunding the price of tickets to those who could not see the movie. I have given a report to the police and they send some personnel who are now posted in front of the hall. I have told them that we will not start the show if there is not enough security at the hall.”

The Malda police are in the dark about the identity of the protesters. “We know that there are no Shiv Sena supporters in the district. We have the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bajrang Dal. We are investigating into who were involved in the incident,” said additional police superintendent Kalyan Banerjee.

The BJP has denied its involvement in the incident. “The protesters are not our supporters,” said Amlan Bhaduri, a councillor and the party’s district general secretary.