The Delhi Police has been directed to make security arrangements in areas with a “mixed population” as a precaution to ensure no communal violence is triggered, in light of the recent release of The Kashmir Files.
On March 14, a letter was issued to all DCPs across all districts, as per The Indian Express. “The movie is based on the lives of Kashmiri Pandits, and reportedly is based on true events. It depicted the barbarism committed against Kashmiri Hindus in its crudest form,” stated the DCP (special branch).
“Adequate police arrangements by local police, including women staff, PCR, and traffic are suggested, especially in mixed population areas, to handle the situation tactfully,” it read further, adding that the controversial film could also potentially stir communal violence.
Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film was released on March 11. The Kashmir Files is a Hindi drama film based on the testimonies of the Kashmiri Pandit community, who had fled from the Kashmir valley in the 1990s. The film features actors Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, Pallavi Joshi, Prakash Belawadi, Puneet Issar, and Atul Srivastava, among others.
The official in the letter also noted, “In Karnataka’s Bhatkal, people have been demanding the screening of the film in movie theatres against the limited screening of The Kashmir Files in local cinemas. In some movie theatres, audience was heard chanting slogans against terrorists and enemies of India.”
“The communal situation in Delhi is still fragile since the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. Due to the recent hijab controversy and the Haridwar Dharam Sansad hate speech against the Muslim community, it cannot be ruled out that even a minor incident may create communal tension between both communities and affect the law and order situation,” it added.
Moreover, protests and commotion have been reported from several parts of the country like Delhi and Agra against theatres to halt screenings of the film. Several social media users had also pointed out the need for lesser number of shows in theatres.
One user wrote, “PVR Cinemas are fraud people. They are not giving tax exemption on tickets for The Kashmir Files even though Haryana Govt has exempted the film from entertainment tax from day one. We have paid the full amount and they will claim a refund from Govt and will not refund the money to us.”
It was also reported that at Noida’s Sector 39, a group created ruckus at a theatre during the show on Tuesday. The screening had to be stopped briefly and police were called in. While the group alleged that screening was halted as the manager of the movie hall belongs to a minority community, police denied the claim and attributed the reason to the AC not working.
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Recently, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, shared videos of hate speech in theatres following the screenings of the film. His tweets were re-shared by other journalists, who mentioned that the communal hatred being flared by means of the film was “terrifying” and “downright dangerous.”