Tamil Nadu is on high alert ahead of the pan India release of the controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ on May 5, officials close to the development said on Wednesday.
“Some groups have called for protests. Our intelligence wing has taken note of their messages on social media,” said a top government official on condition of anonymity.
“Some Islamic groups have also approached the police in several districts seeking a ban. But the government does not ban it. Even Kerala has not banned it. However, we have conveyed alerts to all law enforcement agencies to remain on high alert,” the official added.
The official also confirmed that reports that the intelligence wing had recommended that the government “should not publish The Kerala Story are incorrect”.
“The intelligence officers have not given us any such recommendation and the government has not taken any decision on it,” the official said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain pleas to delay the publication of The Kerala Story and directed the petitioners to approach the Kerala High Court, where similar petitions are pending.
Muslim clerical body Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind approached the Supreme Court after the trailer of the film was released.
The petitioners said the film humiliates the entire community and will endanger the lives and livelihood of Muslims. In addition to seeking to stay the release of the film, the petition sought a declaration that the film is a work of fiction and its characters bear no resemblance to any person living or dead.
“The film opens with a flash note that it was inspired by true events… it is falsely stated that 32,000 girls left Kerala for West Asia to join ISIS, even though the UN, Union Home Ministry, police sources, and experts agree that that the number of Indians who left to join ISIS is around 66 and the maximum number of ISIS sympathizers who could have shown inclination towards ISIS is between 100 and 200,” the petition said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused the “Sangh Parivar” and the makers of the film of “sowing poisonous seeds of communalism”, terming the film as propaganda.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday offered ₹1 million to anyone who can prove that 32,000 women in Kerala were forced to convert to Islam. Tamil Nadu-based national award-winning cinematographer PC Sreeram tweeted on Wednesday, “What is this ‘Kerala Story’ Is it the same as the famous obscene propaganda film ‘Kashmir Papers’?
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