The Hyderabad police, on Monday night, booked a case against the crew of the documentary
In Such Times for shooting in a graveyard without the requisite permission. The documentary is being directed by actress Nandita Das.
The crew of the film, which stars actress Shabana Azmi, reached the Dargah Barhane Shah graveyard in Santoshnagar area on Monday and dug up a fake grave for the shoot. Local residents spotted the film crew and raised objections against shooting at the graveyard.
Neither director Nandita Das nor actress Shabana Azmi were present at the spot at the time. When the locals asked the unit members whether they had obtained permission from the Andhra Pradesh state Wakf Board to shoot in the graveyard, they claimed that they had done so.
However, they failed
to produce the necessary documents.
Local residents rushed to Santoshnagar police station and informed the officials. The police intervened and asked the film crew to furnish the documents. When the film crew could not do so till evening, the police asked them to cancel the shooting and pack up.
The police have booked a case under Sections 298 (uttering any word or placing any object in the sight of any person with intention to wound his religious feelings) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) against the film crew members, based on a complaint by Santoshnagar Sub-Inspector Koteshwar Rao that the unit had not taken the requisite permission.
Santoshnagar Assistant Commissioner of Police Mahboob Basha and Inspector Sudhakar said that the police are investigating the matter.