Film on Indira killers faces protests in Punjab; Cong, BJP demand ban

Patiala, Aug 19: The Congress party is up in the arms against a new Punjabi

on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassins, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. The grand old party has been demanding a ban on the film ahead of its release this Friday, said a

.

Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, Indira Gandhi's bodyguards, shot her dead on October 31, 1984. The film "Kaum de Heere (Diamonds of the Community)" attempts to glorify the two bodyguards, say the critics. It starts with Operation Bluestar and ends with Satwant Singh's hanging.

The party has even written to Narendra Modi that they would hold massive protests across Punjab if the film's release is not stopped. A BJP leader has also put forth a similar demand.

As a result, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked his Home Secretary to look into the row, said the NDTV report. However, the state government has left it in the hands of the Censor Board of India saying it is up to them to decide on the film's release.

Indira Gandhi's death was followed by a gory riot in Delhi, in which nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed.

Last year, the two bodyguards were honoured as "martyrs" at a function by the Akali Dal-backed Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

"Such movies should not be allowed to be shot in the first place. I don't know how the Censor Board approved it," said BJP leader and former minister Laxmikant Chawla. "Indira Gandhi was our prime minister... glorifying her assassins will disturb peace and harmony not only in Punjab but also in whole of north India. Such movies should be banned," he added.

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