BMC removes Dia Mirza Diwali video after BJP objection
Actor's pollution-awareness clip taken down by Mumbai civic body following criticism
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

BMC deletes Dia Mirza's Diwali video (Credit: Instagram)
Photograph: The Economic Times (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed a video featuring actor Dia Mirza from its pollution-free Diwali campaign.
- The removal followed objections from BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam, who stated people know how to celebrate festivals.
- Mumbai Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi expressed displeasure and called for the video's restoration.
- Dia Mirza issued a statement saying air pollution is a public health concern.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 12 of the 24 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
25/100
24 sources · methodology
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed a video featuring actor Dia Mirza from its social media as part of an anti-pollution Diwali campaign. The action was taken after BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam objected to the video. Satam stated that people know how to celebrate festivals and do not need to be given lessons. The BJP and Shiv Sena also criticised the video, with some reports indicating they said people know how to celebrate festivals.
Dia Mirza responded to the controversy, stating that air pollution is a public health concern and efforts to reduce it are important for the environment. Mumbai Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi expressed his displeasure with the BMC's decision to remove the video and called for its restoration. The Economic Times noted that the BMC removed Mirza's clip but retained others.
Disagreement on the reason for removal
The Siasat Daily, The Hindu, The Free Press Journal, and The Print reported that the BMC removed the video following objections from BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam. The Times of India stated that the BMC faced pressure from the BJP to take down the video after Satam expressed concerns over Mirza's involvement. India Today reported the BMC deleted the video after Ameet Satam objected, adding that the deletion was unexplained by the civic body and sparked mixed reactions online. In contrast, The Economic Times' full report stated, 'BMC removed Dia Mirza's Diwali video' without attributing the reason to an objection.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mentioned Dia Mirza's statement that air pollution is a public health concern. None of the centre-rated digests mentioned Dia Mirza's statement that air pollution is a public health concern. None of the right-rated digests mentioned Dia Mirza's statement that air pollution is a public health concern.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 2 Nov 2026, 10:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports from The Siasat Daily and The Hindu led with the BMC taking down Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video after an objection from BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam. The Hindu's digest included a quote from Satam stating, 'We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate #Diwali from @deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture.'
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports from The Economic Times, Hindustan Times, and The Statesman focused on the BMC removing Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video after BJP leaders objected. Hindustan Times included an exclusive quote from Dia Mirza stating the video was recorded in the interest of public awareness. The Statesman's digest highlighted the BJP's criticism, quoting 'Our firecrackers are small'.
Right
7 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports from Rediff.com, India TV News, ABP News, Tribune India, The Print, India Today, and Times of India all highlighted the BMC's removal of Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video following objections from BJP leaders, particularly Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam. Several of these reports, including India TV News, ABP News, and Times of India, included the sentiment that people do not need lessons on how to celebrate Diwali. The Times of India digest noted that Satam expressed concerns over Mirza's links to a particular organisation.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover BMC removes Dia Mirza Diwali video after BJP objection?
- Of the 12 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 17% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 58% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 24. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is BMC removes Dia Mirza Diwali video after BJP objection left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 12 rated outlets on this story, 17% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 58% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of BMC removes Dia Mirza Diwali video after BJP objection biased?
- BMC removes Dia Mirza Diwali video after BJP objection is one event reported by 24 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered BMC removes Dia Mirza Diwali video after BJP objection?
- 24 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why did the BMC remove Dia Mirza's Diwali video?
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation removed Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video after BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam objected to her participation in the campaign. Satam stated that people know how to celebrate festivals and do not need to be given lessons.
- What was Dia Mirza's response to the controversy?
- Dia Mirza issued a statement reiterating that air pollution is a public health concern and that efforts to reduce it are important for the environment. She also reportedly spoke with municipal officials after Ameet Satam's tweet.
- Did any officials support Dia Mirza?
- Yes, Mumbai Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi expressed his displeasure over the BMC's decision to remove the video and called for its restoration. This was reported by India TV News and other outlets.
Read it at the source
24 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
3- Dia Mirza's Diwali video row explained: Why BMC deleted Bollywood actress' pollution-free video (opens The Economic Times in a new tab)
The Economic Times — is The Economic Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Exclusive| Dia Mirza on cracker free Diwali video being taken down by BMC: Video was recorded in the interest of public awareness (opens Hindustan Times in a new tab)
Hindustan Times — is Hindustan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Our firecrackers are small': BJP slams Dia Mirza over anti-cracker message; BMC takes down Diwali video (opens The Statesman in a new tab)
The Statesman — is The Statesman biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
7- BMC removes Dia Mirza's eco-friendly Diwali video, retains others (opens rediff.com in a new tab)
rediff.com — is rediff.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Dia Mirza Diwali video controversy: Mumbai Deputy Mayor backs actor, wants BMC to restore deleted clip (opens India TV News in a new tab)
India TV News — is India TV News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Don’t Need Lessons On Diwali Celebration’: BJP Chief, MLC Slam Dia Mirza’s Campaign; BMC Deletes Video (opens ABP News in a new tab)
- BMC takes down actor Dia Mirzas pollution-free Diwali video after BJPs objection - The Tribune (opens Tribune India in a new tab)
Tribune India — is Tribune India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- BMC takes down actor Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video after BJP leader's objection (opens The Print in a new tab)
- BMC deletes Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video after BJP objection (opens India Today in a new tab)
India Today — is India Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'We don’t need lessons': Dia Mirza's Diwali video removed from BMC's page after Mumbai BJP chief's objection (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
12- Dia Mirza Responds to BMC Diwali Video Row, Says Air Pollution Is a Public Health Concern (opens Yes Punjab in a new tab)
Yes Punjab — is Yes Punjab biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Dia Mirza: BMC Deletes Dia Mirza's Diwali Video (opens namasthe telangana in a new tab)
namasthe telangana — is namasthe telangana biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Read Dia Mirza Ke Diwali Video Par Ameet Satam Ka Aitraaz, BMC Ne Video Hataya. - Gallinews India (opens gallinews.com in a new tab)
gallinews.com — is gallinews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Dia Mirza responds to row over BMC's pollution-free Diwali video featuring her, says ‘air pollution is a public health concern’ (opens bhaskarlive.in in a new tab)
bhaskarlive.in — is bhaskarlive.in biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Dia Mirza breaks silence after BMC deletes her anti-firecracker Diwali video (opens NEWS9 LIVE in a new tab)
NEWS9 LIVE — is NEWS9 LIVE biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Amit Satam Objected to Dia Mirza's Diwali Message, BMC Removed the Video, Politics Heated (opens navbharatlive.com in a new tab)
navbharatlive.com — is navbharatlive.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'People know how to celebrate festival': BJP, Shiv Sena target Dia Mirza over BMC's pollution-free Diwali campaign - tennews.in: National News Portal (opens tennews.in in a new tab)
tennews.in — is tennews.in biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘People know how to celebrate festival’: BJP, Shiv Sena target Dia Mirza over BMC’s pollution-free Diwali campaign (opens Social News XYZ in a new tab)
Social News XYZ — is Social News XYZ biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 4 more
- BMC takes down actor Dia Mirza's pollution-free Diwali video after BJP leader's objection - OrissaPOST (opens Orissa POST in a new tab)
Orissa POST — is Orissa POST biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Why Did the Inclusion of Actress Dia Mirza in the Anti-Pollution Campaign Spark Controversy? - India TV Hindi (opens India TV Hindi Hindi in a new tab)
India TV Hindi Hindi — is India TV Hindi Hindi biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Dia Mirza: Even Though She Didn't Take Any money... Dia Mirza Scolds the Municipal Corporation Officials After Amit Satam's Tweet (opens TV9 Marathi in a new tab)
TV9 Marathi — is TV9 Marathi biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Mumbai BJP Chief Ameet Satam Slams BMC For Featuring Dia Mirza In Anti-Pollution Campaign; Civic Body Deletes Video (opens The Free Press Journal in a new tab)
The Free Press Journal — is The Free Press Journal biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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