NEW DELHI: The students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday protested against the forthcoming film ‘Bastar: The Naxal Story’, by burning the effigy of its director Sudipto Sen and movie posters. The director’s previous movie was ‘The Kerala Story’.
Several JNU students alleged that the teaser of the film contains “hate speech towards JNU” and “calls for public lynching of students.” They further alleged that movie propagates the “hate campaign by the RSS against JNU” and demanded a legal action against the movie makers.
The upcoming movie, slated to be released in March 2024, has been facing strong criticism since an official teaser for the film was released on Tuesday.
“Sudipto Sen does what he does best- weaponization of cinema for right wing gain. In light of these egregious transgressions, SFI JNU demands swift and decisive action to hold Sudipto Sen accountable for his incendiary rhetoric and to prevent the dissemination of his hateful propaganda against our university,” Aishe Ghosh, SFI president said.
She further added, “The opening lines of the teaser alone are chilling, with Sen unabashedly advocating for the execution of anyone associated with leftist ideologies, including JNU students they work in close conjunction with. Such inflammatory rhetoric not only crosses ethical boundaries but also poses a serious threat to social harmony and democratic values.”
A statement issued by SFI said, "Sen’s previous film, ‘The Kerala Story’, already faced backlash for its baseless claims and divisive narrative. Now, with “Bastar,” he stoops even lower, targeting JNU students and attempting to tarnish their reputation with unfounded allegations and sensationalized portrayals."
The timing of this hate campaign is particularly concerning, coinciding with upcoming general elections and serving the agenda of extremist groups seeking to marginalize minority communities and suppress dissenting voices."
The SFI alleged that ABVP in JNU has been involved in “crack down” on students including on Republic Day, where its “activist threatened and physically assaulted women student activists” from progressive organisations.