Latest news with #GreatCalcuttaKillings
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kolkata: ‘Bengal Files' trailer launch disrupted; director alleges dictatorship
Kolkata: The trailer launch of The Bengal Files was disrupted while it was being screened in a five-star hotel in Kolkata with the film's director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri alleging that it was 'dictatorship and fascism'. A still from 'The Bengal Files'. 'All the (media) cameras have captured how a Central Board of Film Certification-approved film's trailer was stopped. We have got all the permissions. It was being screened in a private place (hotel banquet). This is anarchy, this is dictatorship, this is fascism,' Agnihotri told the media. The trailer was scheduled to be launched in a leading multiplex in Kolkata. On Friday Agnihotri alleged that the event was cancelled. The film's team then decided to launch it in a hotel on Saturday. 'Just landed in Kolkata and learnt that the venue for the trailer launch of #TheBengalFiles is cancelled. Who wants to suppress our voice? And why?' Agnihotri wrote on X on Friday. On Saturday when the trailer was being launched, the event was stopped mid-way. Agnihotri could be seen arguing with officials of the Kolkata Police. 'The trailer was stopped by the police due to political pressure. Why is the voice of the filmmaker being stifled? Ask him why it was stopped,' Agnihotri told media persons while pointing towards an officer of the Kolkata Police. The police officer didn't reply to questions posed by the media saying that his seniors in Kolkata Police would comment. Meeraj Khalid, joint commissioner of police (headquarters) didn't respond to calls and messages. Written and directed by Agnihotri, the film focuses on the events of the Direct-Action Day and the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings. It is scheduled for release on September 5. The cast features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi among others. His earlier film The Kashmir Files also stoked controversy in 2022. Earlier this month, Agnihotri had said in a post on X that the West Bengal government filed multiple FIRs against him and the film. The Calcutta high court, however, put an interim stay on the FIRs. '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,' he wrote on X on August 5. The incident, however, triggered a political row between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its arch rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 'In the land of the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, West Bengal has once again witnessed a shameful episode that shatters every limit of democratic decency. Words are simply inadequate to condemn what has just taken place,' Sukanta Majumdar, union minister and state BJP president wrote on X. 'This is not merely disgraceful—it is yet another chilling reminder of how Bengal today is being ruled under jungle-raj, anarchy, and authoritarian arrogance, intoxicated with the politics of appeasement. I strongly and unequivocally condemn this despicable act. Today, not only Bengal but the entire nation has seen how a filmmaker and his team of artists were insulted and humiliated in broad daylight,' he added. 'Earlier a film named The Kashmir Files was launched and BJP lost the assembly elections there. Now they are making The Bengal Files. People of the state are not interested in such films. They know it very well and that's why they are creating a ruckus to get media attention,' Debangshu Bhattacharya, TMC state spokesperson told the media.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Direct Action Day: Spark That Triggered Communal Violence During Partition
The streets of Calcutta (now Kolkata) witnessed one of the bloodiest communal riots in India's pre-independence era. On August 16, 1946, a day now remembered as Direct Action Day or the Great Calcutta Killings, Bengal descended into days of brutal bloodshed, shattering hopes of unity and plunging the province into chaos. The violence was the result of a volatile political atmosphere at the time. Direct Action Day Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League, demanding a separate homeland for Muslims called Pakistan, declared August 16 as Direct Action Day. Their goal was to increase pressure on the British colonial rulers to concede to their demand for a religiously divided India. The call urged Muslims to suspend all business and show their collective strength. Bengal was a particularly sensitive region. It had a Muslim majority but was also a hotbed of political rivalry, with a Hindu-dominated National Congress, the Communist Party of India, and the Hindu Mahasabha vying for influence. The communal divide deepened further as notions of nationalism became entangled with religion. Indian identity began to be equated largely with Hinduism, and Muslims felt alienated. The Great Calcutta Killings 1946 The morning of August 16 carried ominous sentiments. Voices like " Larke lenge Pakistan" (We'll fight to get Pakistan) and calls for brutal retaliation were heard. The violence was savage and indiscriminate. Members of both communities, armed with swords, knives, cleavers, guns, and metal rods, murdered each other in cold blood. Scores of innocent people were killed, and many more were wounded. Hundreds of Muslims bore the brunt of the killings, but the brutality affected both sides. Eyewitness accounts would later reveal the horrific nature of the violence. Gopal Pantha, a contested figure in history, recounted, "... if we heard one murder has taken place, we committed ten more... the ratio should be one to ten, that was the order to my boys," as per The Quint. Another witness, Jugal Chandra Ghosh, described seeing four trucks loaded with dead bodies stacked three feet high, with blood and brains oozing out. The Idea Of Pakistan The roots of this violence trace back decades. The 1905 Partition of Bengal had already sown seeds of division by creating a Muslim-majority province, which sparked a joint Hindu-Muslim protest but also laid the foundation for communal politics. The formation of the Muslim League in 1906 further politicised religion, while continuous riots in Calcutta between 1918 and 1930 worsened tensions. The idea of Pakistan took shape over decades before the Partition, beginning with the Muslim League's formation to protect Muslim political interests. In 1930, Muhammad Iqbal proposed a self-governing Muslim-majority region, and in 1933, Cambridge student Choudhry Rahmat Ali coined the name "Pakistan" in his pamphlet 'Now or Never'. It was an acronym for - P unjab A fghania (NWFP) K ashmir I ndus-Sindh Balochi stan. The demand became a political goal with the Lahore Resolution of 1940, calling for independent Muslim-majority states, ultimately leading to the Partition in 1947. The British government's Communal Award in 1932, which granted separate electorates to minorities, worsened divisions. Mahatma Gandhi opposed this move, fearing it would fracture Indian society irreparably. In the 1946 provincial elections, the Muslim League secured 114 seats while the Congress got 86, cementing the call for Partition.
News18
17-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
'Replace Stones With Books': Samik Bhattacharya's Debut Speech Signals BJP's Tactical Shift In Bengal
Last Updated: A closer reading of his speech reveals that Bhattacharya invoked Bengal's complex history, which includes several major riots both before and after independence. In a clear departure from the hardline, polarised politics that have characterised West Bengal in recent years, newly elected BJP state Chief Samik Bhattacharya, in his debut speech before party workers on Thursday, stated that Muslims in the state need to understand that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has never been against them. 'The BJP wants to replace stones with books and swords with pens in the hands of Muslim youth," Bhattacharya said, emphasising that Muslim youth have been used merely as a vote bank by Mamata Banerjee over the past one and a half decades. This statement is being seen as a major political shift for the BJP in West Bengal, especially with the crucial 2026 Assembly elections approaching. Political circles in the state, long accustomed to intensely polarised politics spearheaded by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, have taken note. Adhikari has, on multiple occasions, publicly stated, 'We don't want a single Muslim vote to win West Bengal." This raises the question: is Samik Bhattacharya moving away from the BJP's core ideology? The answer appears to be no. A closer reading of his speech reveals that Bhattacharya invoked Bengal's complex history, which includes several major riots both before and after independence. He referred to the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946 and the trauma endured by people in Murshidabad, Nadia, and Malda when, during the drawing of the Radcliffe Line, these districts were initially assigned to present-day Bangladesh. It was only after strong persuasion led by Bengal leaders, including Syama Prasad Mookerjee, that they became part of independent India. Bhattacharya also referenced recent incidents in Bangladesh, where Hindu minorities were attacked, women were raped, and properties burned — subtly reinforcing the idea of protecting minorities in a manner that aligns with the BJP's core ideological framework. However, political analysts observe that Bhattacharya seems to recognise the limitations of extreme polarisation. His tone suggests a tactical shift: instead of consolidating Muslim voters against the BJP, the party could reach out to those among them who are interested in development and socio-economic upliftment — a strategy that could benefit the BJP in 2026. This is why Bhattacharya emphasised Bengal's secular and pluralistic legacy, appealing to the Bengali educated middle class, who have historically believed in pluralism. He even said he envisions a Bengal where Durga Puja immersion rallies and Muharram processions are co-organised without conflict or communal tension, as has been the case for many years in the state. Interestingly, Bhattacharya did not use the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram." Instead, he invoked deities with whom Bengalis as a whole culturally identify — Maa Durga, Maa Kali, and Prabhu Jagannath. At the same time, Bhattacharya shifted the blame for the rise in polarised politics onto Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of dividing Bengalis for political gain. Analysts say he has effectively set the early narrative for the 2026 Assembly elections. What Is The Narrative? For the first time, a senior BJP leader in Bengal is speaking about 'Bengal's asmita" — Bengali pride. Bhattacharya began his address by referencing Bengal's glorious economic contribution before British rule, when undivided Bengal accounted for 40 per cent of India's GDP, a figure that has now dwindled to 8 per cent. Thus, the narrative he is attempting to build for 2026 focuses on industrialisation vs corruption, democracy vs autocracy, and peace vs violence. Political watchers note that until now, the BJP's narrative in Bengal largely focused on exposing the corruption of the Trinamool Congress, with little clarity on what the party offered as an alternative. Bhattacharya sought to address that gap today, stating that in 2026, the BJP aims to offer a governance model built on the principles of 'good governance," as demonstrated under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in BJP-ruled states. Understanding that the BJP lacks a strong face to counter Mamata Banerjee, Bhattacharya also tackled this issue directly. He argued that Banerjee's once-iconic image as a symbol of honesty has collapsed under the weight of multiple corruption allegations, claiming the TMC can no longer portray her as an icon of integrity. In a strategic move, Bhattacharya reached out to other opposition parties — particularly the Left and the Congress — urging them not to indirectly support the TMC in the name of 'No Vote to BJP" campaigns. Instead, he called on them to fight independently to remove Mamata Banerjee from power in 2026, assuring them that once the TMC is defeated, there will be space for a healthy opposition — a departure from the governance styles of both the Left and TMC, which were often accused of stifling opposition voices. With this speech, Bhattacharya appears to be reaching across religious lines, aiming to appeal to the Bhadralok Bengali, who has historically viewed the BJP as 'untouchable" or culturally alien to Bengal. It is often said in Bengal politics that without the support of the Bengali Bhadralok, no political change is possible. This was true in 1977 during the Left's rise, and again in 2011 when Mamata Banerjee came to power. Bhattacharya, clearly aware of this history, is now trying to reach out to the educated middle class by shifting the narrative from Hindu vs. Muslim to governance vs. non-governance. That is why he made repeated references to Bengali literature, culture, and stalwarts like Syed Wajid Ali — symbols still deeply revered by Bengal's educated middle class. view comments First Published: News politics 'Replace Stones With Books': Samik Bhattacharya's Debut Speech Signals BJP's Tactical Shift In Bengal Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
