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Ganesha label on beer bottle

May 19, 2005 18:06 IST

Offended by the depiction of Hindu god Ganesha on a bottle of beer in the US, an Indian-American law student is suing the beer company for 'hurting the sentiments of Hindus worldwide'.

Though Lost Coast Brewery has said it will withdraw the label, Brij Dhir, a Golden Gate University law student and a licensed attorney in Mumbai, said he is seeking damages worth $ 1 billion from the company.

Dhir, who hails from Brentwood, said the company's Indica India Pale Ale label showed Ganesh holding a beer in one of his arms and another in his trunk.

"How can you show a god in such a way?" Dhir asked.

"There are lots of ways of having fun. This is not fun," he was quoted as saying in the Contra Costa Times.       

The brewery had sent an e-mail to Dhir saying it will withdraw the product. "I don't want to offend any Hindu people," co-owner Barbara Groom said.

Also named as defendants in the law suit is the Safeway supermarket chain, which carried the product, and the state attorney general's office.

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