The Kerala Story: DGP orders FIR after controversial film teaser sparks outrage

Kerala director general of police Anil Kant on Tuesday directed Thiruvananthapuram police commissioner Sparjan Kumar to register a case against the crew of film “The Kerala Story” for allegedly portraying the state as a safe haven of terrorists.

The teaser of the movie released earlier this month claimed that over 32,000 women from the southern state were converted and most of them were taken to Islamic State-held areas in Syria and Afghanistan in a decade. The film is directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by VA Shah.

Two days back, a Tamil Nadu-based journalist BR Arvindakshan wrote to the country’s film certification board chief Prasoon Joshi and others seeking a ban on the movie unless the makers produce enough evidence to buttress their claim.

A copy of the complaint was also sent to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan who later forwarded it to the DGP.

“I have sent a mail to the Kerala CM and DGP asking them call the director of “The Kerala Story” Sudipto Sen and investigate the veracity of the teaser,” Arvindakshan posted on his Twitter account.

Later in the letter to the CM, he said the film was against the unity and integrity of the country which will also tarnish the intelligence agencies.

After examining the teaser, police found many claims were made without any substance or evidence and it was intended to spoil the image of the state and fuel hatred between different communities.

A senior police officer said a case was registered under Sections 153 A &B (promoting disharmony and enmity between different groups based on the ground of faith) and other sections of the Indian penal code.

The film was reportedly based on four missing women from north Kerala who were later traced to Afghanistan jails after reported deaths of their husbands. Two years ago, the external affairs ministry had refused permission to take them back to the country.

The teaser showed a woman in veil who identified herself as Shalini Unnikrishnan alias Fathima Ba from Kerala saying “she was one among 32,000 converted women from the state and later sent to Syria and Yemen to fight for the Islamic State.”