Writers protest at MP Bhavan against attack on film-makers

New Delhi, Feb 13 (UNI) Civil society members today staged a 'dharna' at Madhya Pradesh Bhavan here to protest the alleged attack by members of Sangh Privar in Bhopal during the screening of the documentary ''Encountered On Saffron Agenda'', describing it as 'an assault on the freedom of expression'.

Intellectuals, writers, acadmecs and cultural activists alleged that members of the Sangh Privar, on Febraury 7, disrupted the private screening of Shubhradeep Chakravarty's recent documentary ''Encountered on Saffron Agenda'' and humiliated and brutalised the audience.

The protesters, carrying banners and placards, alleged that the state government had failed to protect the audience from the 'hooligans' who disrupted the private screening. On the contrary, the police sided with the activists who disrupted the show.

''The police, instead of nabbing the miscreants, forced the organisers of the show to cancel the programme itself,'' said the leaders of Progressive Students Union (PSU) and Pragatisheel Yuva Sangathan (PYS) who orgaised the protest at the MP Bhavan.

The protesers later submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh alleging that the state government was in league with the Sangh Privar in ''trampling the right to freedom of expression with impunity''.

Shubhadeep, a New Delhi-based documentary film-maker, has previously received critical acclaim for his documentary on 2002 Gujarat genocide named ''Godhra Tak''.

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