award-winning documentary "War and Peace" is facing
obstacles once again by the Indian Censor Board, who
are actively obstructing screenings in India. This
film brilliantly documents Indo-Pak tensions after
1998 nuclear test explosions and peace efforts on both
sides.
The Censor board has been proactively stopping private
screenings despite prior permission and is intent on
delaying censor certification and has prescribed many
ridiculous and outrageous cuts. These include the
diktat: "Delete the entire sequence with visuals and
dialogue spoken by Dalit leader" and "Delete the
visuals and dialogues of entire tehelka episode
wherever it occurs in the film" and "Delete the entire
visuals and dialogues spoken by Political Leaders
including the Minister and Prime Minister."
Please sign an online petition in support of the film
and forward to friends who may be willing to sign.
http://www.petitionOnline.com/ekta_wp/petition.html More details at:
http://www.ektaonline.org/patwardhan/ ------------------TEXT OF PETITION-----------------
To: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
India
Re: PROTECT FREE SPEECH: FILMMAKER PATWARDHAN'S "WAR
AND PEACE"
We, the undersigned, wish to bring to your notice our
deep concern about the plight of Anand Patwardhan's
award-winning documentary "War and Peace" submitted
over a month ago for certification to the Censor
Board. We urge you to take speedy measures to release
the film to the general public without any further
delay.
"War and Peace" is a three-hour long documentary that
has won several awards, including two major awards at
the recently concluded 7th Mumbai International Film
Festival, an event organized by the Films Division of
India (FDI), a governmental body that falls under
your purview.
The film's message of peace and religious tolerance
acts like a soothing balm in a world today that is
deeply fractured by the politics of hatred and
violence. In view of the horror in Gujarat and the
dangers of nuclear catastrophe, there is an urgent
need to build peace both within the country and
without.
Given the enormous significance of the film in the
context, we are indeed astounded that the Censor Board
appears to be delaying the film's release instead of
taking all possible steps to expedite it and arrange
for its widest distribution.
While, according to official admission, the film has
not been banned, censor board officials have been
proactively stopping private screenings of "War and
Peace" even in such cases where prior permission was
obtained for the screening. For instance the FDI
obtained special permission from May 31st in Kolkata
to screen award winning films regardless of whether
these had censor certificates. The screening was
however blocked and the organizers, obviously under
pressure from above, insisted that a copy of the film
"hadn't arrived", even though a signed receipt
disproves their claim.
After the examining committee saw the film on June 6,
Patwardhan was not given a chance to meet the
examiners on the pretext that "there was no consensus"
in the group. The following week he was issued a
notice to cut many portions of the film. These include
the diktat: "Delete the entire sequence with visuals
and dialogue spoken by Dalit leader" and "Delete the
visuals and dialogues of entire tehelka episode
wherever it occurs in the film" and "Delete the entire
visuals and dialogues spoken by Political Leaders
including the Minister and Prime Minister."
These are astonishing demands that cut at the very
roots of democracy. Our right to freedom of expression
and our right to information are protected under the
constitution.
We find these actions of the Censor Board to be
unbelievable and deeply disturbing. We urge you to
take immediate steps to arrange for the speedy release
of the film without cuts.
Please sign petition at
http://www.petitionOnline.com/ekta_wp/petition.html 
URL::