Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh CM is facing the heat on social media after accidentally admitting at a press conference that he ‘downloaded’ the recently released film ‘pk’ and watched it.

Yadav’s comment in the press conference on December 31 saying that he decided to make the film tax-free after watching the pirated version is creating quite a storm.

The film, which was released across the country on December 19, has already earned Rs 246.32 crore at the Indian box office. In an escalation of protests, Bajrang Dal activists vandalised theatres in Ahmedabad and other cities in Gujarat exhibiting the film and warned that its screening be stopped. Besides Gujarat, the right wing activists also staged protests in Agra and Mau in Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and tore posters of the film. One theatre in south Mumbai's Parel had stopped screening of the film.

Meanwhile, Congress condemned the vandalism by right wing activisits and charged that the BJP government was "complicit in its silence". "Condemn acts of vandalism by Bajrang Dal and other fringe elements against movie PK. Would (PM Narendra) Modi ask CM Gujarat to act against Hooligans? "Or at least condemn it on his Twitter? No he won't because he believes in what his Hooligan Bajrang Dal Gang is doing. Ugly face of Fascism," party general secretary Digvijay Singh tweeted.

Former Union Minister Manish Tewari said the attack on PK "assaults" the freedom of speech and expression. "The BJP govt is complicit in its silence. Why are advocates of free speech silent," he tweeted. Yoga guru Ramdev said that tradition and faith of people should not be hurt. "The film PK, as people have told me, has two things. One, it contains objectionable scenes of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, which is not right. But secondly, it has exposed those people who misuse the name of God for their personal profit and call themselves as God. However, the tradition and faith of people should not be hurt." Ramdev said.

Sri Ram Sena also demanded that the movie be banned. "The movie PK hurts the sentiments of Hindus and we protest it. Indian government should ban it," Pramod Muthalik, the Sena leader said.