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Activists arrested over Gujarat videos

videoactivist | 14.01.2005 02:02 | Free Spaces | Repression | Social Struggles | London

Preceeding the indian activist film festival at the rampART this week, an unrelated yet related incident ...



Two social activists have been arrested for distributing VCDs of "Final Solution", a film on the Gujarat communal violence of 2002, in a hotel where Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was addressing a meeting.

The police said Lynne Henry and Phiroze Mithiborewala were taken into custody Saturday after the organisers of the function attended by Modi accused them of harassing the delegates.

Other social activists have protested against the arrest.

"Lynne and Phiroze were well within their legal rights in giving out free VCDs of this film to delegates entering and exiting the conference where Narendra Modi was holding forth," said a joint statement also signed by Rakesh Sharma, who produced the 140-minute documentary.

"But instead of allowing them this democratic right, the Mumbai police saw it fit to act on a complaint by RSS elements," the statement said, referring to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, India's most influential Hindu group.

The "Final Solution", which has won several awards, looks at the role of the establishment in the riots that led to hundreds of deaths in Gujarat.

source Indo-Asian News Service (Mumbai, Jan 9th)

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This saturday at the rampART, several film about the Gujarat massacre will be screened.
For more details see  http://www.rampart.co.nr/

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