‘Kashmir Files’ Film Hailed By Indian PM Modi Triggers Anti-Muslim Hate Speech
A Bollywood film about the exodus of thousands of Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir is fanning anti-Muslim sentiments in India.
“The Kashmir Files” has been praised by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP.
The 170-minute Hindi-language movie released last week tells the fictional story of a student who discovers his Kashmiri Hindu parents were killed by rebels.
Hundreds of thousands of people fled Kashmir during a revolt against Indian rule in 1989.
Many were Hindus, known as “Kashmiri Pandits,” who later ended up living in camps across northern India.
The BJP has supported displaced Hindus seeking an eventual return to Indian-administered Kashmir.
Critics say the movie is loose with the facts and targets Indian Muslims even outside Indian-administered Kashmir.