Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists were arrested on Thursday in Bhubaneswar  for disrupting the screening of an Oriya film  Swayamsiddha with a Maoist theme.

The activists were arrested after they tore posters, and organized  demonstrations and  meeting  against the lease of Oriya film Swayamsiddha  without  permission of the Commissionarate Police.

Sidhant Mohapatra, a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) member of the Lok Sabha, is playing the role of a Maoist leader in the film. Mohapatra has acted in over 100 films, mostly in Oriya. Swayamsidha is his first release after entering the Lok Sabha last year. Another BJD Lok Sabha member, Prasanna Patsani, is also appearing in the movie in a special appearance. BJP youth morcha General Secretary Umakanta Patnaik expressed that being elected public representatives , they are encouraging Maoists activities. We are peacefully protesting but the Police has arrested us . In future the protest will be intensified.

Bibhuti Jena, president of the BJP's state youth morcha expressed that the movie has been shot in the dense forests of Koraput district which is considered a Maoist hotbed. Jena suspects the Maoists have helped the actors and the producer. Sri Jena has also sought the intervention of the Orissa High court in seeking a ban on the film. The High Court on Wednesday appointed a five-member committee to attend the premiere of the movie at Cuttack and submit a report on the possible impact it could have on the younger generation. The committee, comprising of senior police officers and lawyers, witnessed  the movie on Thursday amid tight security without any trouble in Brindaban Cinema hall of Cuttack.

The activists of BJP has protested at Brahmapur,Jharsuguda,Bargarh,Balasore . The release of the film at Paramajyoti of Brahmapur,Ramai of Bolangir,Roxy of Baripada, Balasore talkies of Balasore, Sivasankar talkies of Jharsuguda, Uma talkies of Bargarh has been cancelled due to protest of BJP.