Two complaints were lodged here against hair stylist Jawed Habib, accusing him of "insulting and demeaning" Hindu Gods in a newspaper advertisement for his saloon.
The police said no case has been registered and they are verifying the complaints.
K Karuna Sagar, a practising advocate, yesterday filed a complaint with Saidabad Police stating that while browsing through a social media service, he came across a photo of an advertisement "issued" by Jawed Habib in a newspaper, allegedly depicting the Hindu Gods and Goddesses in "derogatory and insulting" way.
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The ad, which carried the caption 'Gods too visit JH Saloon', "insulted his religious sentiments", he said.
Sagar sought action against Jawed in the complaint.
However, a senior police official attached to Saidabad Police Station today said, "No case has been registered...We are verifying."
Another complaint was lodged by a student of University of Hyderabad against Jawed with Gachibowli Police over the same issue. He too accused Jawed of hurting his religious sentiments.
Gachibowli Police Station Inspector S Chandrakanth said following the complaint they made a General Diary (GD) entry and were seeking legal opinion.
Through a video message posted on his Twitter handle, Habib offered an apology over the issue.
"One of our partners released the advertisement without our permission in Kolkata. Our system is through franchise and sentiments have been hurt. I have been working for 25 years. My only religion is scissor...I apologise."
Similarly, a letter was also posted on the social media handle, in the name of Jawed Habib Hair & Beauty Limited which read: "We never ever intended to hurt the sentiments of any community. It was done without our knowledge of the company by some local people in West Bengal. We undertake to remove all such advertisement material from the media."
"If our ad campaign had inadvertently hurt anyone's sentiments we apologise for that to the public at large," the letter added.
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