Bhopal, 20 November 2024: The Madhya Pradesh government announced on Tuesday that The Sabarmati Report, a film depicting the 2002 Godhra train burning incident, would be made tax-free in the state.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, addressing reporters, confirmed the decision, stating his intention to watch the film personally. “It is an impactful movie. I will watch it myself and have encouraged ministers, MLAs, and MPs to do the same. By making it tax-free, we aim to ensure more people can see it,” Yadav said. He described the Godhra incident as a “dark chapter” in India’s history, adding that the film would bring clarity to the truth.
Directed by Dheeraj Sarna, the film explores the 2002 tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of 59 people and sparked communal violence across Gujarat.
The chief minister accused the Opposition of using the incident for “vote-bank politics,” while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat’s chief minister at the time, for safeguarding the state and the nation. “The Opposition played dirty politics back then, but Modi protected Gujarat’s honor,” Yadav remarked.
Prime Minister Modi had also shared his views on the film earlier this week. In a post on X, Modi noted, “A fake narrative can survive only for a limited time,” responding to praise for the movie, which a user described as exposing “the truth of one of the most shameful events in our recent history.”
Cabinet Minister Vishvas Sarang echoed similar sentiments, asserting that the film revealed the factual account of the Godhra tragedy. Sarang alleged the Congress and other Opposition parties constructed a narrative to tarnish Gujarat’s image globally. “Congress has a history of distorting facts to defame the majority community and mislead society,” he claimed, adding that BJP workers and the public would attend screenings of the movie together.
The decision to exempt The Sabarmati Report from state taxes is being positioned as an effort to encourage greater viewership and further public discussion on the incident.
