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Delhi police objects to screening of
film on Gujarat

Following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Delhi Police on Monday virtually stalled the screening of a film on the riots in Gujarat.

A couple of hours before the film was to be screened at the Press Club of India, New Delhi, an assistant commissioner of police landed up at the venue and asked Pankaj Shankar, the producer of the film, if he had obtained a certificate from the Central Board of Censor Certification.

"The film cannot be screened without the certificate," he told the producer.

However, some journalists put their foot down and asked the producer to go ahead.

The 23-minute film titled In the Name of Faith showed pictures of the riot-affected areas of Gujarat. The victims narrated how the women were stripped and raped. A child described how his parents were electrocuted in front of his eyes.

The movie also depicted how, even in a climate of mistrust and hatred, some Hindus rescued their Muslim neighbours.

Besides the scores of journalists, a few victims of the riots, film director Mahesh Bhatt, Swami Agnivesh, Father Walson Thampco and Muslim leader Sajjad Nomani saw the film.

After the film was over, Mahesh Bhatt said he was ashamed to call himself a Hindu. He appealed to the victims not to identify India with Gujarat and called upon Indians to rise against the terror that had been unleashed in the state.

Swami Agnivesh lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party for practising the politics of religion. He said there was no difference between the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bajrang Dal.

Pankaj Shankar told rediff.com that he had spent one-and-a-half months in Gujarat to shoot the film.

"In fact, I had not gone to [do] this film. But when I was hit by the lathi of a policeman I decided to change the topic of my film and started devoting the whole time on filming these pictures at a great personal risk. I have decided to donate the money raised from selling of the CDROMS from this film for the benefit of the victims...," he said.

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