The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has removed a Diwali campaign video featuring actor Dia Mirza from its social media page after Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam objected to the message, while videos featuring other public figures remain available.
The civic body’s campaign urged Mumbai residents to avoid firecrackers and reduce noise pollution during Diwali. Its videos also feature actors Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad, as well as cricketer Ajinkya Rahane. The Times of India reported that those videos continued to remain on the BMC’s social media page after Mirza’s video was taken down.
Satam objected to Mirza’s video in a post on X tagging the BMC’s official account. “We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate #Diwali from @deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture,” he wrote.
When contacted, Satam said he had not asked the BMC to remove 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 independent evidence for 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 places the episode within a wider question about how a civic authority manages public messaging when campaigns involve celebrities and politically contested responses.
The BMC’s campaign post reportedly referred to directions from the Bombay High Court. The supplied report does not specify the particular directions or provide details of the court order referenced by the civic body. The campaign’s stated public purpose was to encourage residents to celebrate Diwali without firecrackers and excessive noise, linking the municipal communication to pollution and public-health concerns.
Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh criticised the removal in a post on X. “BMC is Mumbai’s civic body, not the BJP’s party office. Its own post cited Bombay High Court directions. So why was Dia Mirza’s video removed while others remain? @mybmc owes Mumbai an explanation,” he wrote.
The episode has left two separate issues requiring clarification from the civic administration: who authorised the removal of the video, and why Mirza’s video was treated differently from the other videos in the same campaign. The supplied report does not include a response from the BMC explaining either decision.
