Vivek Agnihotri, director of The Kashmir Files, said on Wednesday that he was banned from hosting a media interaction by the Foreign Correspondents Club and the Press Club of India, PTI reported.
“The watchdogs of democracy and messiah of free speech not only banned me undemocratically but are also lying through their teeth,” he said.
On Tuesday, the film director posted a video on Twitter alleging that the Foreign Correspondents Club had cancelled his press conference that was scheduled for May 5. It was a part of a “hate campaign” against him, he alleged.
“The FCC South Asia decided to cancel a promotional event and has no further comment,” said Foreign Correspondents Club South Asia president Munish Gupta, PTI reported.
After the cancellation, Agnihotri had announced that he would change the venue to the Press Club of India, which too backtracked. “Wow, the Press Club of India also cancelled me,” he wrote on Twitter.
The Press Club of India, however, said it was not allowing any event on May 5.
“The Club allows press conferences only with advanced booking,” the club said. “There is a due process, and bookings have to be done through a member of the Club.”
Agnihotri then said he will hold an open house press conference, where the media can “ask the toughest questions”. The venue has now been shifted to Le Meridien in New Delhi.
“Inviting all democratic and free speech, pro-truth believers, media people, correspondents, reporters media activists and those with empathy for Kashmir Genocide victims tomorrow at 3.30 pm at Le Meridien, New Delhi,”he said.
The Kashmir Files, released on March 11, is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s.
While several BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have endorsed the movie, the Opposition has accused filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri of promoting “half truths”.
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah has said that the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus was a “stain on Kashmiriyat”. However, he added that the movie ignored the sacrifices of the Muslims and Sikhs in the state at the time.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh pointed out that the Congress was not in power at the Centre when the exodus occurred. The Congress unit of Kerala tweeted that the governor of the state who approved the flight of the community had been sanctioned by the BJP.
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