The government of Himachal Pradesh has banned Madhur Bhandarkar's film Traffic Signal for using the word kinnar in a derogatory sense.

A spokesman of the Himachal government told rediff.com on phone from Shimla that unless that word is removed from the film, it would not be allowed to be screened in cinema halls of the state.

The controversy over the use of word kinnar arose because Bhandarkar refers to eunuchs, while Kinnar in Himachal Pradesh is a term used for tribal people who live in sub-zero temperatures in Kinnaur district of the state during winters.

"Kinnaur has a beautiful culture and the people of the district are upset about being equated with eunuchs by using the word kinnar. Bhandarkar has delibrately brought disrepute to the Kinnauris. He must tender an apology and delete the word forthwith," the spokeman said.