Ghulam Ali's Delhi event cancelled after 'threat'

New Delhi: The music launch of Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali-starrer 'Ghar Wapsi' was today cancelled with the director claiming there were security threats.

However, the management of Royal Plaza where the event was to be held this afternoon said it was cancelled as there was "no information about it" and also "no documentation".

The film's director Suhaib Illyasi claimed he received a call from Vishnu Gupta of Hindu Sena threatening to disrupt the event.

"It is regrettable that Ghulam Ali's music launch has been cancelled by the hotel management. We were told not to keep the event here as they feared that people from Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Sena would disrupt it and destroy hotel property," he told reporters here.

Police personnel were deployed outside the venue and even detained a few men who were chanting ''Bharat Mata Ki Jai''. A few of them said they were volunteers of Hindu Sena.

The director plans to reschedule the launch but is yet to decide where it will be organised.

"We will surely organise the launch again. I knew such an incident could happen that's why we had written to Delhi Police and the home ministry to provide us security and I am happy that Indian government and the police did their best. Despite this, the hotel has decided to call off the event."

Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, who claimed he was invited to the event but not allowed to go inside, said, "Today is a blot on culture and tradition. It is a black day. If in free India, someone is troubled because he is a Khan or someone in Pakistan is heckled because he is a Mishra or Chaubey then what is the difference between India and Pakistan."

The music release of 'Ghar Wapsi' was cancelled in January following Shiv Sena's opposition in Mumbai.

Ali, 75, whose several concerts in India had to be cancelled last year following Sena threats, is making his acting debut with the Hindi feature film set to release in June.

Besides acting, the singer has also composed and sung an Indian patriotic song for the movie.
The film also stars Alok Nath, Farida Jalal, Reema Lagoo, Deepak Tijori and Zarina Wahab. Singers like Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu Nigam and Shaan have also lent their voice in the film.