Vadodara: The city police have registered an FIR against unidentified individuals for issuing death threats to a local fashion designer after she performed yoga at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on June 21.

The FIR was filed at Karelibaug police station on Wednesday night after designer and social media influencer Archana Makwana reported receiving threats via email, WhatsApp, and Instagram. It is filed under section 507 of the Indian Penal Code (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication).

Makwana visited the Golden Temple on June 21, which is observed globally as International Day of Yoga, and performed yoga on its ‘parikrama’ path. Photos of her activities quickly went viral. Two days later, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) filed a complaint alleging she had offended religious sentiments, leading the Punjab Police to register an FIR against her under relevant sections.

In response, Makwana issued a video apology, asserting that her actions were not intended to hurt religious feelings. On June 24, Vadodara police provided her with protection as she began receiving death threats.

In a new social media video, Makwana requested the SGPC to withdraw their complaint, arguing that her actions did not offend the sentiments of the thousands of Sikh devotees present during her yoga session. She emphasized that even the photographer who captured her images was Sikh, and temple authorities did not intervene.

 

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