The Sikhs in Punjab were sharply divided Saturday over Bollywood film "Jo Bole So Nihal", with one section of the Sikh leadership giving a clean chit to the movie and another opposing it.

Minor protests were organised Friday against the statewide release of the film with cinema houses in Sikh holy city Amritsar and Jalandhar even being stoned.

Police personnel were present at theatres where the film was released. Protests were also reported from other places Friday and Saturday.

A special panel set up by Jathedar J.S. Vedanti, head of the Akal Takht - the supreme religious seat of Sikhs, gave a "clean chit" to the film after a special show.

Gurcharan Singh of Amritsar said those opposing the film did not know that Jathedar Vedanti had already cleared the film and were unnecessarily opposing it.

The film, directed by Rahul Rawail and starring Sunny Deol - himself from a Sikh background from Punjab and son of yesteryear hero Dharmendra, was being opposed by a section of the Sikh leadership for its use of Sikh religious symbols and the religion's battle cry - Jo Bole So Nihal.

Punjab liquor baron Ponty Chadha, who is considered close to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and others in the state government, has produced the film.

Chadha - himself a Sikh - claimed that there was nothing in the film to hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs.

However, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) - that manages Sikh shrines across Punjab - disagrees.

SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh said the Sikh battle cry - Jo Bole So Nihal - was sacred to the religion and was improper for a commercial film.

The SGPC has shot off a letter to the Censor Board, demanding that objectionable portions of the film, including the name, be removed as they could hurt Sikh religious sentiments.