Central Board of Film Certification blocks film on Indira Gandhi’s assassination from release

This decision was taken after a home ministry report expressed fears that its release on Friday could lead to law and order problems in Punjab and elsewhere in North India.

Officials of the home and information and broadcasting ministries and the Central Board of Film Certification saw the film again and deemed it not fit for release. “We saw the film and decided that it must not be released,” CBFC chief Leela Samson said after a review of the movie on MHA’s advice.

She added the decision was taken under Rule 32 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 1983, that pertains to re-examination of certified films.

The home ministry earlier voiced serious concern at the content of the Punjabi film, and asked the I&B ministry to take a relook at its clearance. It said the Punjabi-language film Kaum De Heere may affect communal harmony in Punjab and other northern states. An MHA letter said the film was “highly objectionable” and may create enmity between communities and lead to tension.

Sources said the film, reportedly based on the lives of the assassins of the late Prime Minister, Beant Singh, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh glorifies their act. There were reports that CBFC CEO Rakesh Kumar, who was arrested by the CBI recently for corruption, had cleared the film after allegedly taking Rs 1 lakh.

In Punjab, both the Congress and the BJP had demanded a ban on the film, but its producer, Pardeep Bansal, said it was based on true incidents.