‘The Kashmir Files’ director Vivek Agnihotri on Tuesday, lashed out at the Foreign Correspondents Club in New Delhi, for calling off the press conference with him. The conference was scheduled to be held on May 5, to discuss the truth about the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide and the film ‘the Kashmir Files’.
Agnihotri alleged that a group of foreign journalists had invited him to address a press conference on ‘The Kashmir Files’, which earned over Rs 250 crore in India. Agnihotri stated that his press conference was cancelled after some members of ‘powerful media’ expressed objection to it.
In a video posted on Twitter, Vivek Agnihotri said, “Yesterday, an unusual, shocking and extremely undemocratic thing happened to me. I became a victim of a hate campaign and my free speech was banned by the watchdogs of free speech, the media.”
“Few days back, the global Kashmiri Pandits diaspora informed me that the foreign correspondents club in New Delhi was very keen to host me for a press conference as many foreign media wanted to talk to me about The Kashmir Files and the truth of the Kashmiri Hindu genocide,” Agnihotri said.
Agnihotri continued, “On their demand, even a Zee Studio executive flew to Delhi and made all the arrangements including their unusual demand to host cocktails and dinner. All logistics, invites were made, but to my shock, yesterday I received a call from their president saying that the event has to be cancelled as some very powerful media have taken strong objection to this conference and have threatened to resign en masse if it is allowed. The club’s management surrendered to agenda-driven, anti-free speech and anti-truth and cancelled the press conference in an undemocratic manner.”
“This is perhaps the first time that the messiahs and watchdogs of free speech have banned free speech in their own club. Since then, I have received calls from many Indian and foreign correspondents, who want this press conference, but the club management refused to listen to their demands,” he added.
He said, “I think, dear friends, it is important to know how some agenda-driven foreign media is part of an anti-India, anti-truth and anti-free speech conspiracy. I have been a victim of the same media which has been falsely blaming Indian for spreading hate. Though I have been advised by many to let it pass as they are very powerful people, my conscience does not allow this attack on free speech.”
IMPORTANT: ALL MEDIA
1. Foreign Correspondents Club, New Delhi has cancelled my PC on 5th May in an undemocratic manner as part of a hate-campaign against #TheKashmirFiles.
2. I am holding an open-house PC at the Press Club of India on the 5th at 4 PM.
All media are invited. pic.twitter.com/aDFbS9FteB
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 3, 2022
In retaliation, the filmmaker said that he has decided to go ahead with an ‘alternate and open-house press conference in the interest of India, democracy, free speech and truth.’ He invited Indian and foreign media to join him on May 5 at Press Club of India, New Delhi.
A day ago, Vivek Agnihotri also slammed Wikipedia for their ‘secular credentials’ after terming the depiction of the 1990s Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus as a genocide as ‘inaccurate.’ He sarcastically asked them to edit it, and add words like ‘propaganda’ too.
Dear @Wikipedia,
You forgot to add ‘Islamophobia… propaganda… sanghi… bigot… etc’.
You are failing your Secular credentials. Hurry, edit more. pic.twitter.com/c0KyfCc1Co
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 1, 2022
