The Kashmir Files: Videos of Anti-Muslim Hate, Slogans in Theatres Go Viral

Video of a crowd shouting slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' outside Delite Cinema in New Delhi have emerged on social media.

While the film is performing successfully at the box office so far, netizens have called it a work of historical revisionism, aimed at widening prejudice against Muslims.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Vivek Agnihotri’s film The Kashmir Files, which portrays the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s, has led to a more communally charged environment, with anti-Muslim hate speeches and sloganeering making their way to the theatres.

Several videos of the same are doing the rounds on social media.

While the film is performing successfully at the box office so far, many on Twitter have called it a work of historical revisionism, aimed at widening prejudice against Muslims.

Meanwhile, others have questioned why Rahul Dholakia's Parzania, based on a true story of Azhar Mody, whose 13-year-old son went missing during the 2002 Gujarat riots, was banned in Gujarat despite clearance from the censor board.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has been asked to make security arrangements in areas with a "mixed population" so that no untoward incident occurs after the release of The Kashmir Files, reported The Indian Express.

A letter was addressed by the DCP (special branch) on 14 March to district commissioners of police, police control rooms and traffic, saying, "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."

"Adequate police arrangements by local police, including women staff, PCR, and traffic are suggested, especially in mixed population areas, to handle the situation tactfully," the letter added.

It was also stated that a "one-sided view" of the event could possibly trigger violence between communities.

Man Arrested in Jantar Mantar Hate Speech Case Warns Against ‘Love-jihad’

Meanwhile, in one of the videos that have surfaced on social media, Vinod Sharma, who was arrested in connection with anti-Muslim hate speeches at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, was seen riding the 'love-jihad' bogey — asking people to gift tickets of the film to women in their neighbourhoods so as to prevent them from getting trapped.

Vinod Sharma, who goes by the name Aazad Vinod, calls himself the national president of Sudarshan Vahini, an organisation that identifies itself as a 'Kattar Hindu group'.

Further, Sharma has also been photographed with BJP leaders Sambit Patra and Kapil Mishra, and Sanjay Pandey, the president of Maharashtra BJP's cell for north Indians.

Other than BJP leaders he has been photographed with Narsinghanand, Ragini Tiwari, and Sudarshan TV head Suresh Chavhanke. He is also seen with lawyer Prashant Umrao Patel, who has often being caught spreading fake news. He is the standing counsel in the Supreme Court for the state of Goa.

Video of a crowd shouting slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' outside Delite Cinema in New Delhi has also emerged.

Another slogan, explicitly asking for violence against Muslims, can be heard from a theatre in Bijnor.

They also raised the slogan 'Bharatiya Janata Party Zindabad.'

Bijnor Police replied to the tweet and said that investigation of the case has been handed over to the jurisdictional city.

In yet another vile speech, a man can be heard saying if every Hindu man under the age of 25 marries a Muslim girl, then in three generations, their (Muslims) population will be cut by half.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a BJP parliamentary party meet on 15 March, during which he highlighted the role of the film industry in presenting history and praised The Kashmir Files, saying that there is an ongoing campaign to discredit it.

On 18 March, another video surfaced from Odisha's Sambalpur, where a mob, chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans, forecefully enters a theatre where Akshay Kumar starrer Bachchan Pandey was being screened and stops the screening to get the cinema to play The Kashmir Files.

The incident took place in Eylex Cinema hall, where the cinema cancelled tickets of locals, due to some issues with the distributor.

Reportedly, later, members of the Bajrang Dal went to the cinema and tried to stop the screening of Bachchan Pandey and asked the manager to put up a show of The Kashmir Files. The issue was later resolved by the distributor and shows of The Kashmir Files were put up.