A New Year’s Eve program featuring actress Sunny Leone at a Mathura hotel was cancelled due to strong objections from religious leaders

AGRA: The proposed New Year programme featuring actress Sunny Leone at a prominent hotel in Mathura has been cancelled following strong objections from saints and religious organisations. The organisers said the decision was taken to respect the religious and cultural traditions of the Braj region and the sentiments of the saint community.The programme, scheduled for 1 January at a private hotel in Mathura, was to mark New Year celebrations, for which all preparations had already been completed. However, amid mounting protests, the organisers decided to call it off.

Hotel owner Mitul Pathak said Sunny Leone is known in India as an artist and that the event was planned as a DJ performance, not in any other capacity. He added that all administrative and legal norms were being followed for the event. “Despite this, we decided to cancel the programme in view of social and religious sentiments,” he said.According to the organisers, the DJ show was planned for a limited audience of 300 people, with ticketed entry. Four seating categories had been arranged for viewers, including hut, cabana, high terrace seating and couple standing. The show was scheduled from 8 pm to midnight on 1 January.Opposition to the programme grew after its details became public, triggering anger among saints, seers and religious leaders. Several religious organisations wrote to the district magistrate, demanding that the event be cancelled. They alleged that such programmes were inappropriate in a religious city like Mathura and accused the organisers of promoting obscenity and hurting religious sentiments.Following sustained protests and objections from the saint community, the organisers announced the cancellation of the event, stating that respect for religious sentiments and the cultural ethos of Braj was paramount. The district administration has not issued a separate statement on the matter so far.