Defaming Divine Land: Sunny Leone's New Year 2026 Event In Mathura Cancelled After Priests Cry Foul

Sunny Leone was supposed to perform at a bar in Mathura on New Year 2026, but now the event has been cancelled following strong objections from seers and religious groups in the city. The religious leaders demanded the event be cancelled, saying Mathura, a city in Uttar Pradesh, is a "divine land". In a letter addressed to the District Magistrate on Monday, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas requested the cancellation of the event.

In the letter, a priest pointed at Leone's previous profession and added that the preparations were underway to showcase "vulgarity and obscenity" at the event.

"Mathura is a divine land. Our idol, Lord Krishna Kanhaiya, performed the Raas Leela in this land of Braj. Devotees from all over the world come here to worship. Some people are conspiring to defame this divine land. They want to incite religious sentiments by organising such programmes. These people want to tarnish the image of this holy city. Therefore, this event should be canceled and action should be taken against the organisers," religious leader Dinesh Falhari Dharmacharya wrote.

Amid the uproar by religious groups and mindful of the sanctity of the holy city, the event organisers decided to cancel the program. "While paying respect to the respected and revered sages and saints, we are cancelling the programme of 1st January of Sunny Leone," the bar stated.

Priests welcome the decision

Girraj Singh, a Hindu group leader, spoke to ANI and thanked the state government for listening to the people. He praised the government for respecting the "sentiments" of the region and the sadhus, saying, "I would like to thank the Uttar Pradesh government on behalf of all the people of Braj Bhumi. I want to express my gratitude to the government for considering the sentiments of the people of Braj Bhumi and also for respecting the sadhus and sants."

Religious leader Dinesh Falhari Dharmacharya also shared the reasons behind the opposition to the event. Referring to Braj Bhumi as the land of "penance" and Lord Krishna, he stated, “The sadhus and saints had opposed this event because this is Braj Bhumi, the land where Lord Krishna performed the Maharas. This is a land of penance, and such events should not be held here. We would like to thank the administration for understanding our feelings and cancelling this event.”

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