BMC takes down actor Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video after BJP leader's objection

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has removed a video message by actor Dia Mirza promoting an ecofriendly Diwali from its social media platforms following objections from Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam triggering a political controversy over the civic bodyrsquos decisionMirzarsquos video which urged people to avoid noise and air pollution during the festival was removed on Sunday However campaign videos featuring actors Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad as well as cricketer Ajinkya Rahane continued to remain on the BMCrsquos X and Instagram pagesThe move came after Satam objected to Mirzarsquos message in a post on X tagging the civic bodyrsquos official account and questioning the actorrsquos appeal on celebrating the festivalWe donrsquot need lessons on how to celebrate Diwali from Dia Mirza Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture the BJP leader wrotemybmc We donrsquot need lessons on how to celebrate Diwali from deespeak Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culturemdash Ameet Satam AmeetSatam November 1 2026Within hours of Satamrsquos comment the civic body led by Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide removed Mirzarsquos video from its social media pagesThe BMC has not issued any clarification on why the video was deletedBJP leader questions actors Diwali messageMirzarsquos clip was part of a civic campaign encouraging residents to celebrate Diwali while limiting pollution caused by firecrackers and other activitiesSatamrsquos objection has drawn attention to the campaign particularly as videos featuring other celebrities making similar appeals have remained onlineThe selective removal of Mirzarsquos message has raised questions about the civic bodyrsquos decision and whether the campaignrsquos approach to promoting an ecofriendly Diwali has changedAIMIM leader alleges selective outrageThe controversy widened after AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan criticised Satam for singling out Mirza pointing out that other celebrities had made similar appeals as part of the BMC campaignIn a post on X Pathan said Mr Ameet Satam why single out Dia Mirza when Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad made the very same appeal on behalf of BMC Same appeal same High Court directive but different reactions Thatrsquos not standing up for tradition thatrsquos selective outrage and a glaring double standard Why is Dia Mirza your target Naam Dia Mirza haiMr AmeetSatam why single out deespeak when Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad made the very same appeal on behalf of mybmc Same appeal same High Court directive but different reactions Thatrsquos not standing up for tradition thatrsquos selective outrage and a glaring double standard Why is Dia Mirza your target Naam Dia Mirza hai hellip CMOMaharashtra ShainaNCmdash Waris Pathan warispathan November 2 2026Pathan questioned why Satam had objected to Mirzarsquos message while similar videos featuring Dixit and Wad continued to remain on the civic bodyrsquos social media accountsHis remarks added a political dimension to the controversy with the dispute now centred on the BMCrsquos decision to remove one video while retaining others promoting the same messageRamdas Athawale backs Diwali celebrations stresses pollution concernsUnion Minister Ramdas Athawale said the controversy should not be viewed through the lens of any particular religious community emphasising that the Constitution guarantees every religion the right to celebrate its festivalsSpeaking to IANS Athawale said ldquoI think Dia Mirza is a film actress and belongs to the Muslim community but this is not a matter of any particular community India is a country where the Constitution given by Dr BR Ambedkar grants every religion the right to celebrate its festivals As you know just as Muslims celebrate Eid and observe Ramadan members of the Hindu community also participate in these celebrations They respect the way Muslims celebrate their festivals Similarly people from the Hindu community celebrate Diwali If firecrackers are not burst Diwali may lose some of its significance However we must also be concerned about excessive pollutionMumbai Maharashtra Union Minister Ramdas Athawale says ldquoI think Dia Mirza is a film actress and belongs to the Muslim community but this is not a matter of any particular community India is a country where the Constitution given by Dr BR Ambedkar grants every religion the right to celebrate its festivals As you know just as Muslims celebrate Eid and observe Ramadan members of the Hindu community also participate in these celebrations They respect the way Muslims celebrate their festivals Similarly people from the Hindu community celebrate Diwali If firecrackers are not burst Diwali may lose some of its significance However we must also be concerned about excessive pollutionmdash IANS ians_india November 2 2026Athawale said that while people should be allowed to celebrate their festivals concerns over excessive pollution also needed to be addressedShaina NC says pollution awareness must take priorityShiv Sena national spokesperson Shaina NC also weighed in on the controversy saying that citizens should remain mindful of pollution and prioritise health and safety during Diwali celebrationsSpeaking to IANS Shaina said Dia Mirza whose name itself means light should know that the Festival of Lights refers to Diwali Every citizen understands the need to be mindful of pollution and avoid bursting firecrackers so that we can remain safe because life and health come firstMumbai Maharashtra Shiv Sena national spokesperson Shaina NC says Dia Mirza whose name itself means light should know that the Festival of Lights refers to Diwali Every citizen understands the need to be mindful of pollution and avoid bursting firecrackers so that we can remain safe because life and health come firstmdash IANS ians_india November 2 2026Bombay High Court bans firecrackers on public roadsThe controversy comes against the backdrop of the Bombay High Courtrsquos September directive banning the bursting of firecrackers on public roads both during the day and at night while stressing that festivals must be celebrated without causing noise and air pollutionA bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale hearing the matter amid the Ganesh festival said the use of loudspeakers DJs and laser beams during religious processions was ldquocompletely unwarrantedrdquoldquoAre we going to get additional blessings from God by using all these loudspeakers and firecrackers As a responsible society we should put an end to all thisrdquo the High Court saidThe court took suo motu cognizance of the severe noise and air pollution caused during processions It observed that bursting firecrackers on roads was not only dangerous but also contributed to toxic pollutionldquoThere cannot be firecrackers absolutely Why should firecrackers even be permitted on public roads in a city like Mumbai This is the time air pollution starts in Mumbai and a haze sets in This needs to be stoppedrdquo the court saidThe courtrsquos observations have added to the debate over the use of firecrackers during festivals particularly in Mumbai where air pollution levels typically rise during the festive seasonBMC yet to clarify removalThe civic body has not publicly explained whether Mirzas video was removed in response to Satams objection or for any other reasonThe BMC has also not clarified whether it intends to remove or retain the other campaign videosThe controversy comes amid efforts by civic authorities to encourage residents to limit noise and air pollution during Diwali celebrations