Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 16 : West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the trailer screening of 'The Bengal Files' was abruptly stopped in Kolkata on Saturday.
While speaking to ANI, Bhattacharya said there is "total anarchy" in the state and alleged that the government is working to turn Bengal into an "Islamic Republic." He also claimed that the state is currently facing a "total absence of law and order."
"Total anarchy. Total absence of law and order. West Bengal's Chief Minister is doing everything she can to turn West Bengal into an Islamic Republic... Muslims are the ones getting killed, and Muslims are the ones doing the killing. This is the current situation in West Bengal... Hindus and Muslims together should fight against this Islamic fanaticism, fascism, and ongoing radicalisation..." he said.
The chaos broke out at Kolkata's ITC Royal Bengal when the trailer screening of Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's upcoming film was abruptly stopped.
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, visibly upset, urged the audience to stay calm, pointing out that all "permissions and approvals" had been obtained in advance and alleging that some people "cut all the wires" during the event.
"Please bear with us... I mean, all this happened with the permissions and approvals, and now, at the last minute, they are saying that they have received some instructions that we cannot play (the trailer)... Please sit down... You can see what is happening. It seems there are two constitutions in India: one Indian constitution and one special constitution that runs here..."
He added, "If this is not dictatorship/fascism, then what is? Law and order in your state has failed, and this is the reason that everyone supports The Bengal Files..."
"I have just learned that some people came here (to the event venue in a private hotel) and cut all the wires. I don't know on whose orders this is happening. You know who those people are behind us. After all tests and trials, this program was being held. The hotel managers still can't tell us why we are not allowed to continue with our program..."
Agnihotri earlier opened up on the cancellation of the trailer launch event of 'The Bengal Files' by a leading movie theatre chain and why he decided to unveil the trailer today, August 16.
The film explores the communal violence in undivided Bengal during the 1940s, including events like the 1946 Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots of 1947, a Hindu genocide.
Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, The Bengal Files features actors Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi. It is focused on the events of the "Direct Action Day," aiming to unveil the "most brutal chapter" of Indian history. A poster of the film was unveiled on Friday morning, promising to deliver the "boldest film." The Bengal Files is slated to hit theatres on September 5.
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