Vivek Agnihotri, director of The Kashmir Files, has been granted Y category security by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). This move comes after the director claimed he had received threats to his life over the film.
Sources told The Indian Express that the decision was taken in view of opposition to the film “from certain quarters and apprehensions that some communities may be hurt” by the filmmaker’s presentation of the events in the movie.
The Kashmir Files is based on the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit community from the Kashmir valley in the 1990s. The film has an ensemble cast comprising of actors Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, Pallavi Joshi, Prakash Belawadi, Puneet Issar, and Atul Srivastava, among others.
Prior to the release of the film, Agnihotri had deactivated his Twitter account claiming that he had been receiving death threats and calls to stop the release of the film.
An Intelligence Bureau assessment has, reportedly, now found that there is a threat to the filmmaker’s life and based on this, Y category security has been provided to him through the MHA’s Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Agnihotri is the second personality from the Hindi film industry, after Kangana Ranaut, to be given Y category security. It grants him a security detail of eight personnel, including one or two commandos and police personnel.
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While the film has been getting support a lot of support from the ruling BJP party with several BJP-led states declaring it tax-free, it has also been facing criticism for flaming communal hatred. Mehbooba Mufti, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, recently accused the union government of “weaponising” the pain of Kashmiri Pandits by aggressively promoting the film. Along with her, Jammu & Kashmir Students Association also voiced concern over the film, noting that the reactions of the public during screenings of the film have been “disturbing” and could lead to the targeting of students of a particular community, especially those from Jammu and Kashmir, studying in different parts of the country.