Famous Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has become the latest casualty in the face of violent threats posed by India’s militant Hindutva brigade associated with the BJP. Faced with the fear of arrest, Sabyasachi has now taken down his mangalsutra ad campaign and all related photos have disappeared from the fashion designer’s Instagram page.
The decision to withdraw the mangalsutra ad came after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra issued chilling threats to Sabyasachi as he ordered him to taken down the ad within 24 hours.
Sabyasachi’s company, according to NDTV, said in a statement, “In the context of making heritage and culture a dynamic conversation, the Mangalsutra campaign aimed to talk about inclusivity and empowerment. The campaign was intended as a celebration and we are deeply saddened that it has instead offended a section of our society. So we at Sabyasachi have decided to withdraw the campaign.”
In his mangalsutra ad, Sabyasachi had introduced a series of photos from his ad campaign featuring same-sex and heterosexual couples wearing Royal Bengal mangalsutra, which the fashion designer said was from his ‘Intimate Fine Jewellery’ collection.
The latest development comes days after FabIndia had to withdraw its Diwali collection after Hindutva militants warned of consequences for using Urdu words to promote the company’s festive designs.
In another controversy, famous Indian Ayurvedic company, Dabur, had to drop its Karwachauth ad promoting inclusivity. Faced with threats of police action from Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, the company had issued a statement announcing the withdrawal of the ad.
What the f… is wrong with you guys? Plz stop your agenda/propaganda during our festivals..
Tumhare ghar par bhi aisa hi kuch hota hai kya @imohitburman ?#dabur #daburad #KarwaChauth pic.twitter.com/EsPe3qvHQW
— Harrie B (@imharshbawa) October 23, 2021
“Fem’s Karwachauth campaign has been withdrawn from all social media handles and we unconditionally apologise for unintentionally hurting people’s sentiments,” the company had said in a statement.
The karwachauth ad involved two lesbian women, who were preparing for the night on the occasion of the festival when a wife fasts for the long life of her husband. The wife breaks her fast after sighting the moon. Hindutva fanatics were angry with the portrayal of lesbian women in the karwachauth ad.
