Siddu intervenes: College backtracks on screening 'The Kerala Story'

Sowmya Raju | N T

Bengaluru: A likely flare up has been averted, after authorities at Sri Vijay Mahantesh Ayurvedic Medical College in Ilkal, Bagalkot, decided to roll back their circular asking students to watch the controversial movie "The Kerala Story", thanks to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's timely intervention.

The College has faced criticism for its decision to ask students to watch the said movie. Social activist Vinay Srinivas strongly condemned the college's action, stating that it was a deliberate attempt to spread hatred among the students.

Following public backlash, the college management withdrew the announcement regarding the screening of the movie. The move came after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directly intervened in the matter, prompted by concer ns raised by Kannada writers K Marulasiddappa, SG Siddaramaiah, and education activist V P Niranjanaradhya, supported by the Karnataka Jagura Nagarikaru organisation.

The circular, which initially mandated all female students to watch the movie and made exaggerated claims, alleged that 32,000 non-Muslim women from Kerala had been brainwashed through Love Jihad and trafficked for terrorist activities.

However, the count was later revised to three in a YouTube trailer for the movie. In the wake of the Chief Minister's intervention, Bagalkot District Deputy Commissioner P Sunil Kumar took immediate action to bring the situation under control and ensure withdrawal of the controversial circular by the college authorities.

The college had decided to organise a free screening of the controversial movie specifically for female Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) students at a local theatre on May 23, suspending afternoon classes for the purpose.

Social activist Vinay Srinivas said that despite the Supreme Court's order asking the film producer to carry a disclaimer stating that it is a work of fiction, the college's decision to screen the movie demonstrated a clear intention to incite hatred. He stressed on the importance of educating students about constitutional values instead of subjecting them to a deceptive movie.

Directed by Sudipto Sen, "The Kerala Story" claims to depict the forceful conversion and recruitment of women by the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS). However, numerous reports have contradicted these claims in Kerala and across the country