Don’t back Padmavati ban: Capt

■ Amarinder slams threats to film’s actor and director

Punjab CM Amrinder Singh on Tuesday distanced himself from controversy surrounding the movie Padamavati by clarifying that he is not supporting the ban after his statement “no body has right to distort history” did rounds in the academic and creative circles.

The Pujnab chief minister made it clear that he was not supporting a ban and was completely opposed to the threats being issued to the film’s actors and directors. He had only said that those who were protesting against the film Padmavati had every right to a peaceful agitation, he clarified.

“I cannot ask for a ban on the movie without even watching it. I am reiterating that people have the right to peacefully agitate against the movie if they feel hurt by distortion of history.”

“In a civilised and democratic set- up there is space for peaceful agitation and disagreements, but no person has the right to issue threats merely because they disagree with someone, however strong the reason may be. I totally condemn all people who are issuing threats,” Mr Singh said, adding that law will take its course against those issuing such threats.

The CM had on Monday said that he himself is a “military historian” and strongly feels that nobody had the right to distort history. “I have myself studied history and even been to Chittoor”, said Captain Amarinder, adding that cinematic license did not give anyone the right to twist historical facts.

“Those feeling hurt by distortion of facts had the right to protest”, he had said, adding that protests were a justified recourse in a democratic system. However, many educationist differed with CM’s statement.

According to educational psychologist D. Tarlok Bandhu, “History does not mean that one history should be taught there are histories. There is a paper in in JNU titled the histories of partition. Similarly, there can be different perspectives on most historical subjects.”

According to a historian Dr, Paramajeet Singh, an expert on medieval history, “Rani Padmini is taught at graduate level, it winds up in quarter of a page with reference to Allauddin Khilji’s conquets. He says that a lot of written word even controversial is much like wikilileaks better buried in libraries. But we need to get it out and filmed”.

In a democratic setup there is space for peaceful agitation and disagreements, but no person has the right to issue threats merely because they disagree with someone, however strong the reason may be — Amarinder Singh, Punjab CM