The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has removed actor Dia Mirza’s video appeal asking Mumbaikars not to burst firecrackers during Diwali, after criticism from BJP and Shiv Sena leaders. Videos featuring other public figures, including actor Madhuri Dixit Nene and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, remained available on the civic body’s social media accounts, according to a report by Navbharat Times – Mumbai.
The videos were posted after the Bombay High Court criticised the BMC over pollution in Mumbai and directed it to conduct a public-awareness campaign. The court’s instructions included involving well-known personalities in efforts to discourage firecracker use in public places and parks. The campaign messages urged residents to avoid firecrackers and help reduce noise pollution during the festival.
Dia Mirza was among the celebrities whose messages were recorded and shared by the BMC. In her video, she appealed to people not to burst firecrackers. The civic body later deleted only her video after political objections, while the other celebrity videos cited in the report continued to be available on its social media platforms.
Amit Satam, the Mumbai BJP president, objected to the video in a post on X tagging the BMC. According to the report, Satam wrote that there was no need to learn from Mirza how Diwali should be celebrated and said that traditions were deeply rooted in Indian culture.
Shaina NC, a Shiv Sena spokesperson, also criticised the appeal in comments to ANI. She said Diwali was a festival of lights and argued that Mumbaikars did not need to learn from others how to observe it. At the same time, she said that no one was promoting pollution or asking people to burst firecrackers, according to the report.
The dispute has placed the BMC’s public-awareness campaign between two official pressures: the Bombay High Court’s direction to address pollution and noise through public communication, and political objections to the way the message was presented. The available report does not state whether the civic body issued a formal explanation for deleting Mirza’s video or whether the court was informed about the change.
Union minister Ramdas Athawale also commented on the controversy. He said that the Constitution gives people the right to celebrate their festivals, while adding that excessive pollution should also be considered. His remarks, as reported, combined support for festival observance with a call to address pollution.
The BMC’s action comes as Mumbai continues to face the recurring challenge of enforcing restrictions and public-health advisories related to firecrackers. The report states that the Bombay High Court had restricted the bursting of firecrackers in public places and parks, but that substantial firecracker use continued during Diwali. The next clear step for the civic administration is whether it will continue the remaining awareness campaign material and clarify the basis for removing the Dia Mirza video.
