Audition cancelled,crowd protests

The audition had been prominently advertised on the channel and online platforms,and people who turned up to participate asked why adequate preparations were not made? “You cannot advertise all over the place,and then book a small venue for the event. The organisers are responsible for what happened,” said Shahin,who arrived at the venue at 6 am.

According to sources,participants started arriving at the venue as early as 3 am. By 8 am,when gates were to open for the audition,around 2,000 people were waiting for the audition to begin. As the crowd got restive,the organisers announced that the event was cancelled. The crowd then began to pelt stones at the venue,protesting against the channel and the organisers.

Later,police was called in who tried to disperse the angry crowd. According to some participants,the police manhandled them and resorted to lathicharge. The allegation,however,was refuted by Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Shankar Dass. “No policeman went there with a lathi or weapon. We intervened and brought the situation under control. There were some arguments but no violence,” he said.

According to a senior police officer,the entertainment licence granted to the organisers is under review. The licencing branch was investigating whether Cineyug had violated some terms under which the licence was given.

Sony,on the other hand,plans to conduct internal investigations. “Though this event was outsourced to an event management firm,such incidents affect our reputation,” said Danish Khan,Head (Marketing),SET. “If we find any discrepancies,action will be taken.”