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Film-maker hounded out of Jaipur

Special Correspondent

Police prevent him from screening his documentary on Gujarat fake encounters

BJYM demands registering a case of sedition against Chakravorty
PUCL accuses BJP of creating a law and order problem

JAIPUR: A documentary film-maker, who was trying to expose the politics of fake encounters in Gujarat through his movie, was hounded out of the city on Thursday on the pretext of threat to peace and public order, much to the disappointment to the civil rights groups that wanted to apprise the people of the dangers of the State violence perpetrated against citizens.

Ironically, the Pink City Press Club — which had earlier agreed to organise a show of Shubhradeep Chakravorty’s film in its auditorium — cancelled his booking. When Mr. Chakravorty left for the Muslim Musafirkhana here after arguing with the Press Club functionaries, the police chased him and did not allow him to show the movie there as well.

The police detained Mr. Chakravorty briefly and took him to an undisclosed location where senior district officers watched some portions of the film. Mr. Chakravorty was then asked to either apply formally for screening the movie or leave the city immediately. He left for his home in Delhi in late evening.

The documentary film, “Encountered on saffron agenda?” is based on the investigation of four encounters in Gujarat, which Mr. Chakravorty said not only violated the fundamental right to life and liberty of the victims but were exclusively used to “demonise minorities and strengthen the politics of hatred” in that State.

The freelance film-maker, who earlier worked with Doordarshan and private agencies, said he had tried to find out the truth behind the police stories and politics of encounters through interviews of family members of victims, independent investigators, lawyers and eyewitnesses.

When Mr. Chakravorty tried to reason with the Press Club functionaries, general secretary Pankaj Soni told him that a “controversial” film could not be screened on the premises and there was no issue of freedom of expression involved in it. Mr. Soni said there was a likelihood of rightist groups attacking the Press Club if the movie was shown there.

Members of the civil rights groups, invited to watch the film, offered to take Mr. Chakravorty to the Muslim Musafirkhana. However, the police followed the convoy and told the film-maker that the movie could not be screened without the permission of district administration as it involved a “sensitive matter.”

Mr. Chakravorty told reporters that it was unfortunate that an institution of the Fourth Estate, which should have protected his freedom of speech, had forced him to seek shelter in a “minority ghetto.”

Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s Minority Morcha gathered at the Musafirkhana and raised slogans against Mr. Chakravorty while accusing him of disturbing communal harmony.

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) at a press conference later demanded the registration of a case of sedition against Mr. Chakravorty, saying he had tried to “eulogise terrorists who were out to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.” BJYM State president Ashok Lahoti expressed gratitude to the Press Club for not allowing the film’s screening.

Mr. Chakravorty said he had shown the movie to private audience earlier in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, for which no certificate from the Film Censor Board was needed. “Police and Press Club in Jaipur hounding me out on bogus grounds is despicable,” he added.

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), taking exception to the harassment of the film-maker, said the BJP and its sister organisations deliberately created a law and order problem to justify the ban on the film’s screening. It said the film was shown at the Vinoba Gyan Mandir here on February 22 without any trouble.

The film has covered the encounters of Sameer Khan Pathan (October 2002), Sadiq Jamal (January 2003), Ishrat Jahan and Javed Sheikh (June 2004) and Sohrabuddin Sheikh (November 2005) in Gujarat. Mr. Chakravorty said it was also in support of the next of kin of the victims, who were living under the allegation of being family members of “terrorists” and facing difficulties in their day-to-day lives.

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