logo
Vivek Agnihotri alleges multiple FIRs against him by WB ruling party members to hamper release of The Bengal Files

Vivek Agnihotri alleges multiple FIRs against him by WB ruling party members to hamper release of The Bengal Files

Hindustan Times2 days ago
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri took to his social media on Tuesday to make serious allegations against members of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress party. He claimed that multiple FIRs have been filed against him in different cities to hamper the release of The Bengal Files, which is slated to hit theatres on 5 September. Here's what he said. Vivek Agnihotri took to social media to claim that certain entities are trying to stop him from focusing on The Bengal Files.
Vivek Agnihotri alleges multiple FIRs filed on him
Vivek began his video by stating that he is sharing his message from the US, where he is promoting The Bengal Files. He then claimed that despite a stay granted by the Calcutta High Court, FIRs continue to be piled on him.
'I am in the USA promoting The Bengal Files. I must tell you, it's one of the most defining, one of the most important films on Hindu genocide. It uncovers so many dark chapters of our history, which some vested interests had covered up for a very long time. But while I am here, the ruling party of West Bengal and their members have been filing so many FIRs against us in different cities, in different cities and thanas,' said the filmmaker.
He also claimed that while he initially chose to stay silent and pursue this only legally, an attempt was being made to derail the film's publicity. 'I have great faith in the Indian judiciary, especially the Calcutta High Court, and I have some good news to give you. The Calcutta High Court has given a stay on all these FIRs. But as the case was being heard in the High Court, at the same time, they filed more FIRs. I think this is their strategy. The ruling party wants to trap us with so many legal hassles, so many legal battles, so that we cannot focus on the promotion of the film,' said Vivek.
Questions motive behind the FIRs
Vivek also questioned if the FIRs were being filed to 'stifle dissent or hide inconvenient truths. 'This strategy has been deployed by them for a very, very long time. Are they against me? Are they against the film? Or are they against the truth?" he asked. He also alleged that they were denied permission to shoot The Bengal Files in West Bengal and had to shoot it in Mumbai. 'Now, with our limited resources, we want this film to reach every citizen of India, especially the young people,' he said.
Vivek also speculated that the FIRs might have been filed on him because the ruling party fears the film's 'influence'. He ended by saying that he will release the film's trailer in West Bengal and that nobody could silence him.
While sharing the video, Vivek captioned it: 'Important & Urgent: Multiple FIRs have been filed against me by the West Bengal govt for making #TheBengalFiles. The Hon'ble High Court has stayed them. Why do they want to silence us? Why are they so scared of the truth? I will not be silenced.'
The Bengal Files is written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Abhishek Agarwal and Pallavi Joshi. It features Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, and Darshan Kumar and forms part of Agnihotri's Files trilogy, which includes The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kajol Snaps at Reporter for Asking Her to Speak in Hindi
Kajol Snaps at Reporter for Asking Her to Speak in Hindi

Time of India

time11 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Kajol Snaps at Reporter for Asking Her to Speak in Hindi

At the Maharashtra State Film Awards 2025, Kajol, who was honored for her contribution to Indian cinema, found herself at the center of controversy. During a media interaction, when a reporter requested her to speak in Hindi, Kajol responded sharply, saying, 'Jisko samajhna hai woh samajh lenge' ('Those who want to understand, will understand'). This incident has sparked a wave of reactions online, with some supporting her stance on linguistic pride and others criticizing her for not accommodating the Hindi-speaking audience. The debate touches upon issues of language, identity, and respect in the diverse cultural landscape of India.

As Russian oil discount narrows, economists think India can afford import diversification
As Russian oil discount narrows, economists think India can afford import diversification

Indian Express

time11 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

As Russian oil discount narrows, economists think India can afford import diversification

With US President Donald Trump doubling the tariff on Indian goods to 50 per cent, economists think India can afford to reduce its purchase of Russian oil due to the narrowing of the discount on offer and diversify its sourcing. From around 2 per cent prior to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the share of Russian oil in India's oil imports has increased sharply to 35-40 per cent, with Indian refiners lapping up discounted Russian oil that was shunned by developed nations. However, the tariff war instigated by Donald Trump – initially with a focus on addressing the US' trade deficit with other nations – has seen the imposition of so-called secondary tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian energy and defence equipment. On July 30, Trump threatened a 25 per cent on India and an additional unspecified 'penalty' for its Russian trade. On Wednesday, the penalty was revealed to be a further 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods that will come into effect on August 27. According to Barclays economists led by Aastha Gudwani, the purchase of discounted Russian oil helped lower India's oil import bill by around $7 billion-10 billion in 2024 to $186 billion. 'As of now, the discount on oil imports from Russia having narrowed to around $3-8/barrel lower than Middle eastern grade. Media reports suggest that Indian refiners would be pushed to pivot towards traditional West Asian suppliers and new players such as Brazil to make up for lost Russian supplies, with price increases around $4-5/barrel. With global oil prices in 2025 so far settling around $9/barrel lower than 2024, such a diversification of oil supply sources is unlikely to hurt India's oil import bill,' they added. Meanwhile, Nomura economists Sonal Varma and Aurodeep Nandi estimate the implied discount on Russian crude oil for Indian refiners declined to around $2.2 per barrel in 2024-25 from over $12 per barrel in 2022-23. As such, if India chooses to reduce its purchase of Russian oil, India's annual import bill may only rise by around $1.5 billion, they calculated. Morgan Stanley economists were in agreement, estimating that the discount India got on Russian crude oil in 2024-25 was only $2-3 per barrel. To be sure, Indian refining companies began cutting their purchase of Russian oil even prior to Trump's threat of a 'penalty'. In July, India's crude imports from Russia averaged 1.6 million barrels per day, as per data from Kpler, a global trade data and analytics firm, down 24 per cent from June. However, a move by India to procure more oil from countries other than Russia could push up prices globally, which would raise the import bill. While difficult to estimate, Nomura economists think that given India imported 1.8 billion barrels of oil in 2024-25, India's annual import bill could rise by around $1.8 billion for every $1 increase in global crude prices. 'Domestically, the government will likely keep pump prices constant, which means there is likely to be minimal inflation and growth impact from any shift in oil procurement. This also means that the ultimate cost of any transition will most likely have to be borne by public sector oil marketing companies, and eventually by the government if it needs to compensate them for these under-recoveries at a later stage,' Nomura said, adding that it did not see a 'major upside risk' to the Indian government's fiscal deficit target of 4.4 per cent of GDP for the current fiscal. Meanwhile, reduced demand for Russian oil from Indian refiners, especially state-run ones, is already beginning to reflect in prices, with Homayoun Falakshahi, head of crude oil analysis at Kpler, pointing out on Wednesday that private refiners were 'still scooping barrels, but at a lower pace. Four Aframaxes are currently waiting to discharge at Jamnagar and Vadinar'. An aframax is a type of oil tanker. According to Falakshahi, India's negotiations with the US could lead to New Delhi agreeing to raise its oil and gas purchases. The energy trade between the two countries is worth around $7.5 billion a year. 'This has already started to be the case, with the country's imports of US crude on the rise lately to an average of 225 kbd (thousand barrels per day) since May, nearly twice as much the levels from early 2025. Indian refiners could realistically increase their intake of US crude by another 100 kbd to previous highs of ~300 kbd in 2021,' Falakshahi said. However, he added he was sceptical that India will be able to completely stop the import of Russian oil. Siddharth Upasani is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. He reports primarily on data and the economy, looking for trends and changes in the former which paint a picture of the latter. Before The Indian Express, he worked at Moneycontrol and financial newswire Informist (previously called Cogencis). Outside of work, sports, fantasy football, and graphic novels keep him busy. ... Read More

Kashmir Mediation To Russian Oil: Trump's 'Un'Truth Social
Kashmir Mediation To Russian Oil: Trump's 'Un'Truth Social

NDTV

time11 minutes ago

  • NDTV

Kashmir Mediation To Russian Oil: Trump's 'Un'Truth Social

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has made several misleading or outright inaccurate statements about India -- from falsehoods regarding trade policy to the economy, Trump's remarks have frequently clashed with facts. Trump's announcement of 25 per cent additional tariffs on Indian goods triggered immediate diplomatic pushback from New Delhi and raised questions about Western consistency on Russian energy sanctions. Fact-checking Trump 1. "India Stopped Buying Russian Oil" Trump's Claim: "Well, I understand India no longer is going to be buying oil from Russia. That's what I heard. I don't know if that's right or not, but that's a good step." Fact Check: According to government sources, India continues to import Russian crude oil. 2. "India is the Tariff King" Trump's Claim: India is the "Tariff King" and an abuser of global trade rules. Fact Check: India's simple average tariff stands at 16 per cent, comparable to economies like Turkey (16.2 per cent) and Argentina (13.4 per cent). India's weighted average tariff is only 4.6 per cent. 3. "India is a Dead Economy" Trump's Claim: India is a "dead economy" and the US does "very little business" with India. Fact Check: Contrary to Trump's assertion, India remains the largest trading partner of the United States for the fourth consecutive year, with bilateral trade touching $131.84 billion in FY 2024-25. Indian exports to the US rose by 11.6 per cent, reaching $86.51 billion, and imports from the US stood at $45.33 billion. The two countries have set a target of $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 under the "Mission 500" roadmap. 4. Ceasefire Between India and Pakistan Trump's Claim: He personally brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and prevented a nuclear conflict. Fact Check: There is no official evidence to support Trump's claim. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have clarified that no ceasefire was brokered by the United States. "At no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade and what was going on. Secondly, there was no talk between the Prime Minister and President Trump from the 22nd of April when President Trump called up to convey his sympathy, and the 17th of June, when he called up the Prime Minister in Canada to explain why he could not meet," Mr Jaishankar said in Parliament. 5. "1,000 Years War" Trump's Claim: "There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years... a thousand-year fight in Kashmir." Fact Check: The India-Pakistan Kashmir conflict began in 1947 following the partition and independence of India. There is no historical basis for Trump's 1,000-year claim. Prior to 1947, Kashmir was a princely state under British rule and was not subject to the Indo-Pakistani conflict. 6. Kashmir Mediation Offer Trump's Claim: PM Modi asked him to mediate on Kashmir in 2019. Fact Check: India categorically denied that any such request was made. The Ministry of External Affairs stated: "No such request has been made by PM Modi to the US President. It has been India's consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally." 7. "India Got A Sweeter Paris Deal" Trump's Claim: India got a "sweeter deal" under the Paris Climate Accord, which justified his withdrawal. Fact Check: India is the first G20 country to have met its Paris Climate Agreement targets. India's nationally determined contributions (NDCs) have been praised by international climate monitors. 8. "India is Taking American Jobs" Trump's Claim: "India is taking our jobs... It's not going to happen anymore, folks." Fact Check: Indian companies have created over 425,000 jobs in the United States, with $40 billion invested as per a 2023 Confederation of Indian Industry report. Additionally, Indian students contributed $7.7 billion annually to the US economy between 2019 and 2023. Indian-origin CEOs head major US. firms, including Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe-driving American innovation and competitiveness.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store