Kerala CM, LoP condemn national film awards for controversial ''Kerala Story''
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday sharply criticised the decision to award national film honours to "The Kerala Story", directed by Sudipto Sen, accusing the jury of betraying the proud tradition of Indian cinema.
Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, also criticised the decision to award national honours to The Kerala Story, alleging that the BJP government is using the National Film Awards as part of its hate campaign.
Filmmaker Sudipto Sen won the Best Director award for his film "The Kerala Story", which also received the award for Best Cinematography. The film had courted controversy for its portrayal of women in Kerala being forcefully converted and recruited by the terror group Islamic State.
"We register our strong protest against this action. Every Keralite, and indeed every believer in democracy across the country, must raise their voice against this injustice. We must unite against the politics that seeks to turn art into a weapon for fostering communalism," Vijayan said in a statement here.
He said that by granting awards to a film built on falsehoods with the aim of defaming Kerala and spreading communalism, the award jury had insulted the proud tradition of Indian cinema, which has long stood for communal harmony and national upliftment.
"In doing so, they are advancing the Sangh Parivar's agenda of turning cinema into a weapon for implementing a communal agenda," the Chief Minister said.
He, however, hailed the achievements of Malayalam cinema when the 71st National Film Awards were announced, calling it a "remarkable success".
"The moment was made even more special with Urvashi and Vijayaraghavan -- whose exceptional talent has enriched Malayalam cinema -- winning the awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. May these honours inspire Malayalam cinema to soar to new heights with even more outstanding films," Vijayan said.
In his statement, Satheesan said the film The Kerala Story was given an award solely with the intention of promoting religious hatred. "This is unacceptable," he said.
He accused the Sangh Parivar -- which, according to him, is leading a campaign against Christians -- and the BJP government of "politicising" even the National Film Awards.
"By spreading falsehoods about Kerala, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, which practise divisive politics, are trying to gain political advantage. This will not succeed," he said. He also congratulated the other award winners.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
