Kashmir Files director gets Y-category security cover

The sources said the decision was taken in the wake of opposition to the film “from certain quarters and apprehensions that some communities may be hurt” by the filmmaker’s presentation of the events that led to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s.

“An assessment by the Intelligence Bureau has found that there is a threat to his life. Based on the inputs, Y category security has been provided to him across the country,” a Home Ministry official said. Agnihotri will be 118th individual to be under CRPF cover.

Released on March 11, the movie has been running to packed halls even as it faces criticism for presenting a one-sided narrative of events. The movie has also been endorsed by a number of Union Ministers and granted tax-free status by almost all BJP-ruled states, with some even granting leave to government employees to watch it.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to criticism of The Kashmir Files and said the movie has rattled the “entire ecosystem” that claims to be the torchbearer of freedom of expression but does not want the truth to be told.

Addressing a meeting of BJP MPs after the party returned to power in four states, including UP, Modi said it is not an issue about a film, but that of “bringing out the truth” and “presenting history in its correct perspective” before the country since this has been long “suppressed” by the “poori jamaat” (entire group).

However, the movie has also triggered concerns over whether it could lead to communal violence. Following its release, police officers in Delhi were asked to make elaborate security arrangements in areas with “mixed population” to avoid any untoward incident.

In a letter issued on March 14 to DCPs of all districts in Delhi, DCP (special branch) said: “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…It is claimed that the one-sided view of the event could possibly trigger violence between communities.”