Sunny Leone’s Mathura New Year event cancelled after protests from religious groups

sunny leone

• Sunny Leone's New Year's DJ event in Mathura canceled due to local seers' protests
• Religious leaders deemed the event unsuitable for Braj Bhumi's sanctity.
• Event canceled and ticket refunds started out of respect for local sentiments.

Did our AI summary help?

A New Year’s Eve event featuring Bollywood actor Sunny Leone in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh has been cancelled amid strong objections from local seers and religious leaders, who argued that such a programme was inappropriate for the holy city of Braj Bhumi. The event, planned for January 1, 2026, was to feature Leone performing as a DJ at a restaurant/bar venue, with preparations already underway and tickets reportedly sold for the celebration.

Soon after the event was announced, several religious groups and saints voiced anger and opposition, submitting formal complaints to the district magistrate urging that it be called off. Central to their argument was Mathura’s deep religious and cultural significance — the region is revered as the birthplace of Lord Krishna, where many devotees come for worship and pilgrimage. Local leaders insisted that holding a high-energy entertainment event in such a sacred place would hurt religious sentiments and clash with the town’s spiritual identity.

Girraj Singh, a leader of a Hindu organization, expressed gratitude to the state government during an interview with ANI, acknowledging their attentiveness to the concerns of the public. He commended the government for honoring the "feelings" of the local community and the sadhus.saying: "I would like to thank the Uttar Pradesh government on behalf of all the people of Braj Bhumi. I want to express my gratitude to the government for considering the sentiments of the people of Braj Bhumi and also for respecting the sadhus and sants."

One of the prominent voices against the show was Dinesh Falahari Dharmacharya of the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas, who said that inviting Sunny Leone for a DJ performance in a place where sacred ‘leelas’ of Lord Krishna took place would defame Braj Bhoomi and Sanatan Dharma. He stated: "The sadhus and saints had opposed this event because this is Braj Bhumi, the land where Lord Krishna performed the Maharas. This is a land of penance, and such events should not be held here. We would like to thank the administration for understanding our feelings and cancelling this event."

Citing respect for local sentiments and the concerns raised by religious leaders, the event organisers decided to cancel the programme and are said to have initiated refunds for tickets that were sold for the event. Organisers noted that although Sunny Leone was booked to perform as a DJ and all legal protocols were followed, they chose to withdraw in consideration of local emotions and social sensitivity.