The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has removed a Diwali campaign video featuring actor Dia Mirza from its official social media page after Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam objected to the message, according to a report by The Times of India. The campaign urged citizens to avoid firecrackers and reduce noise pollution during the festival.
The video was part of a wider BMC campaign featuring actor Madhuri Dixit, actor Nishigandha Wad and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane. Their videos continued to remain on the civic body’s social media page, according to the report. The selective removal has turned a public-awareness campaign into a dispute over how a municipal corporation communicates with residents and responds to political criticism.
Satam objected to Mirza’s video in a post on X tagging the BMC’s official account. He wrote: “We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate #Diwali from @deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture.” The post did not, in itself, state that he had directed the civic body to remove the video.
When contacted by The Times of India, Satam said he had not asked the BMC to pull down the post. He nevertheless alleged that Mirza had been associated with anti-India forces and had sympathised with people trying to spread anarchy. The report did not provide further details supporting those allegations.
Asked why he had not objected to the videos featuring the other actors and the cricketer, Satam said they represented art and sports, according to the report. The distinction has placed the BMC’s campaign in the context of a broader question facing civic administrations: whether public messaging should be assessed primarily on its stated civic purpose or on the public positions and identities associated with its participants.
The BMC campaign’s stated subject was firecracker use and noise pollution, issues that directly affect urban residents during a high-intensity festival period. Municipal corporations regularly use social media to communicate advisories and public-health messages, making the control of official platforms an administrative as well as political matter.
The report does not include a public explanation from the BMC for removing Mirza’s video, nor does it establish through an official civic statement who ordered the removal. The immediate facts are that the video was posted as part of the campaign, Satam objected to it publicly, and the video was subsequently no longer available on the BMC page while the other campaign videos remained. Any further action will depend on whether the civic body explains the decision or restores the video.
