FIR filed against Bharti Singh over beard and moustache joke: Report

An FIR has been filed against actor-comedian Bharti Singh for hurting the sentiments of the members of the Sikh community with a joke on moustaches and beards in an old video.

According to a report in ETimes, the FIR has been registered against Bharti at Adampur police station in Jalandhar. The case was reportedly registered on the complaint of Ravidas Tiger Force chief Jassi Tallan.

The report further stated that Bharti has been accused of mocking the Sikh people. She has reportedly been charged under Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code.

In the old video, Bharti jokes about the advantages of having 'daadi mooch' (beard and moustache). Bharti says when you drink milk and put beard in your mouth, it tastes like sewaiyan. She also talks about men having lice in their beards.

As soon as the video went viral, netizens and people from the Sikh community slammed Bharti for disrespecting their beard and moustache.

On Monday, Bharti posted a video on Instagram and apologised after her video went viral on social media. She clarified that her intentions were not to hurt any community. She said she has received the viral video from many people and requested everyone to not misjudge what she said.

"There's a video that's been going viral from the last 3 to 4 days claiming that I have made fun of 'daadi mooch'. I have seen the video repeatedly and request people to watch it too as I have not said anything against any religion or caste. I didn't mock any Punjabi or what problems happen when you keep 'daadi mooch'," Bharti said in the video.

She added, "I was doing comedy with my friend but if it has hurt the sentiments of people, I apologise with folded hands. I am a Punjabi myself, I was born in Amritsar and I'd always respect it. I am a proud Punjabi, too."

"Main comedy karti hoon logo ko khush karne ke liye na ki kisi ka dil dukhane ke liye. agar meri kisi baat se koi hurt hua ho tho maaf kar dena aapni behan samjh ke," she captioned the video. She also turned off the comments for her post on Instagram.

Bharti welcomed a baby boy with her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa in April 2022. Bharti and Haarsh met and fell in love on the sets of 'Comedy Circus'. They got married in 2017 after being in a relationship for seven years.