New
York, March 20, 2003---The Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on India's
Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)
to reverse its earlier decision to deny
a certificate to the documentary "Aakrosh,"
which prevents
the film from being shown publicly. "Aakrosh,"
or "Cry of Anguish," is a 20-minute,
Hindi-language documentary that features
interviews with survivors of the communal
violence that swept the western state of
Gujarat
in 2002.
On
March 4, the CBFC notified the producers
of "Aakrosh" that their application
for a certificate was denied. The filmmakers
appealed the decision to the board's Revising
Committee, which met yesterday, March 19,
to screen the documentary. Committee members
said that a decision would be made shortly,
but no date was given.
In
the CBFC's March 4 letter to the filmmakers
explaining the decision, a copy of which
was obtained by CPJ, the board lists several
"Reasons for Refusal of Certificate,"
including the fact that, "The film
depicts violence and reminds the people
about the Gujarat riot last year. It shows
the Government and Police in a bad light.
The overall impact of the film is
negative as it leads to communal hatred."
The
film's producers say "Aakrosh"
does not show footage of the violence and
is not incendiary. The film "preaches
the importance of peace and communal harmony,"
said a statement from the People's Media
Initiative, an independent production company
that made the documentary. "We wanted
to show futility of the violence and tell
the people that violence of any kind is
bad." The filmmakers say they did not
identify the victims interviewed by name
or religion to avoid contributing to further
polarization between Hindu and Muslim communities.
The
clashes in Gujarat began on February 27,
2002, when a Muslim mob set fire to a train
carrying Hindu activists, killing 59 people,
according to official reports. More than
2,000 Muslims were killed in the retaliatory
violence that followed. Journalists, diplomats,
and human rights groups have reported that
much of this violence was actually organized
and encouraged by political leaders and
groups associated with the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), the Hindu nationalist party
that governs Gujarat State and leads India's
national coalition government.
Arvind
Trivedi, a former actor and BJP politician
from Gujarat, currently heads the CBFC.
This
is not the first time that the film board
has censored a documentary for political
reasons. In 2002, the CBFC ordered filmmakers
to alter their documentary "War and
Peace" (Jang aur Aman), a program about
the dangers of the nuclear arms race between
India and Pakistan. The film's director
refused to make the cuts and has filed a
case with the High Court in Mumbai challenging
the board's decision. The next court hearing
is scheduled for March 25.
"War
and Peace" has received numerous awards,
including top honors at the Mumbai International
Film Festival and the Sydney International
Film Festival, but it cannot be screened
publicly in India without an official certificate
from the film board.
CPJ
is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit
organization that works to safeguard press
freedom worldwide. For more information
about press conditions in India, visit www.cpj.org.
Source:
Committee to Protect Journalists ( www.cpj.org
)
