KBC 11 Row: NCP Protests Outside Sony TV's Mumbai Office Over Shivaji Maharaj Question!

A section of KBC viewers is upset over Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj being addressed simply as Shivaji in a recent episode.

Mumbai: While #Boycott_KBC_SonyTv trended on Twitter, supporters of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) gathered outside the Sony channel office in Mumbai's Malad area on Friday to stage protest against "Kaun Banega Crorepati" and Sony TV, the channel airing the popular quiz show. A section of KBC viewers is upset over Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj being addressed simply as Shivaji in a recent episode. Staging protest on Friday afternoon, NCP workers demanded an apology from the channel authorities regarding the same. The protesters also took a dig at show's iconic host Amitabh Bachchan and raised slogans like "Amitabh Bachchan murdabaad". However, according to a tweet by NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik, the channel authorities have submitted a written apology to them. With the controversy gathering ground, Sony channel authorities had actually admitted their mistake earlier. During Thursday evening's episode of the show, a ticker was run on the screen, which read:" "There was an inaccurate reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during yesterday's episode, due to inadvertence. We deeply regret the same." Kaun Banega Crorepati 11: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj 'Insulted' On KBC; Sony Admits Mistake! The controversy started when, in a recent episode, show host Bachchan asked this question to a contestant: "Which of these rulers was the contemporary of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb?" Options given for the right answer, as displayed on the screen, were: " A) Maharana Pratap B) Rana Sanga C) Maharaja Ranjit Singh D) Shivaji."

I am a KBC Fan, however in today’s KBC, titles were used for first three kings and not for the 4th. I think it should have been ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’. @sonykbc10 @SrBachchan pic.twitter.com/dDM9Ng3SYj

— Mrunmayee Bhagwat (@mrunmayee205) November 6, 2019

There was an inaccurate reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during Wednesday’s KBC episode, due to inadvertence. We deeply regret the same and being mindful of the sentiments of our viewers have carried a scroll expressing regret during our episode yesterday. #KBC11 pic.twitter.com/FLtSAt9HuN

— Sony TV (@SonyTV) November 8, 2019

While asking this question, Amitabh Bachchan mentioned Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj just as Shivaji. This led to disappointment among viewers who alleged disrespect has been shown towards the great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.