Kolkata, March 12 (IANS) Taking a dig at West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, “The Kashmir Files” director Vivek Agnihotri on Sunday said many parts of the eastern state “have turned into Mini Kashmir”.
Speaking at a seminar here on “India’s Heritage: From Kashmir to Bengal”, Agnihotri claimed that West Bengal has become a hotbed for corruption, cheap dialogues and communal violence.
He said that the rich cultural heritage of Bengal has been tarnished by “negative instances in recent period to an extent”.
“How can I forget how I was physically targeted at Jadavpur University for my film ‘Buddha in a Traffic Jam’? I made an attempt to make a film on the 1946 communal riots in Bengal for which I had sent a team of researchers to interview some survivors who witnessed those riots. But they were not allowed to work here,” Agnihotri said.
Claiming that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had failed to control violence in the state, ‘The Kashmir Files’ director said one cannot even roam freely in West Bengal.
“Already there are so many ‘mini Kashmirs’ in Bengal. However, I am determined to bring the true story about Bengal to the public through my movie at any cost. I will have to complete that work before the entire Bengal becomes Kashmir. No one can stop me from doing that,” he said.
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