Hyderabad : In anticipation of the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Mandir, celebrated nationwide, a group called Hyderabad Cinephiles held an unauthorized screening of the contentious documentary 'Ram Ke Naam' at Marley’s Joint Bistro Restaurant in Hyderabad. 

The screening led to protests by Hindu groups, accusing the organizers of actions against Hinduism and causing religious offense.

Prompted by the unrest, police officials arrived at the scene, registering a case due to concerns about potential communal violence ahead of the Ram Mandir inauguration. The FIR, filed on January 20th, revealed that complainant P Rithvik and his friends visited Marley’s Joint Bistro Restaurant and observed discussions related to the documentary. 

Rithvik alleged that the acts and behaviors witnessed were derogatory towards Hinduism and the VHP organization. Upon inquiry, the restaurant management revealed that the event was organized by Hyderabad Cinephiles, with organizers named Anand, Piyush @ Parag, Srija, and others. The complainant reported being abused and provoked by the organizers, some of whom managed to escape.

Rithvik asserted that the event was intentionally orchestrated to create communal tensions ahead of the Ram Mandir event. The owners of Marley Joint, Sowmith Reddy and Srujan, were said to have cooperated with the event. Consequently, Rithvik urged authorities to take necessary action against them.

A case has been registered (Cr No 39/2024) under sections 290, 295-A r/w 34 IPC, and an ongoing investigation is being conducted at PS Neredmet.