By IANS
Hyderabad : Tennis sensation Sania Mirza Thursday apologized for shooting a commercial in the historic Mecca Masjid here even as police registered a case against her and an advertising agency for trespass.
In a letter addressed to the priest of the mosque, Sania tendered apology to “all brothers and sisters” and “respected elders” for hurting their religious sentiments by entering the mosque.
“I would like to apologise to all my brothers and sisters and respected elders who are anguished by my unwittingly entering a portion of the land belonging to the Mecca Masjid while filming the Charminar with the intention of promoting the heritage monument which is symbolic of our city,” she said.
The player wrote that she was assured by the ad agency that they had secured permission for the shoot in the mosque.
“While I am fully aware that a woman must not enter the mosque, I was unaware that even entering the outside gates was seriously objectionable,” she said.
The copies of the letter were released to the press by the city police commissioner’s office here Thursday night.
Earlier in the day, the Hussainialam police station registered a case of trespass against Sania and the advertising agency on a complaint by the minority welfare department.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Charminar) B. Reddenna said the department had complained that Sania and the ad agency shot the commercial in the mosque without its permission.
The minority welfare department is responsible for the upkeep of the 17th century mosque located near Charminar, Hyderabad’s most famous monument.
Hyderabad district minority welfare officer Kareemulla had Tuesday lodged a complaint with the police that the commercial was shot without permission.
The shooting evoked protest from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), a political party enjoying widespread support in the Muslim-majority old city, and from a section of people, who alleged that Sania and the agency had hurt their religious sentiments.
Mosque officials pointed out that the shooting of films and commercials was not permitted in the mosque premises.
Meanwhile, the police made tight security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident Friday as some people were reportedly planning protests after the Friday prayers.
The mosque is a major tourist centre. Tight security is in place there since the May 18 bomb blast that killed nine people. Muslims constitute 40 percent of the city’s seven million population.