Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has declared the film The Sabarmati Report, based on the 2002 Godhra train coach burning incident, tax-free in the state. This announcement came on Tuesday during a media interaction following the inaugural session of the 17th Association of Universities in Asia and the Pacific (AUAP) conference held in Bhopal.
CM Yadav praised The Sabarmati Report as a highly impactful film and expressed his intention to watch it himself. He encouraged his ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs) to view the film, which sheds light on what he called “a very dark chapter of the past.” He added, “Watching it will help people understand the truth.”
The Chief Minister also mentioned that the decision to make the film tax-free was aimed at ensuring that more people could access it and learn from its portrayal of the tragic events surrounding the Godhra incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the 2002 Godhra incident, also expressed his support for the film. In a tweet responding to a shared trailer of the film, Modi praised the film for revealing the “truth” about the incident. He stated, “It is good that this truth is coming out, and that too in a way common people can see it. A fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time. Eventually, the facts will always come out!”
The Sabarmati Report, which was released on November 15, explores the real-life events of the burning of the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra station on February 27, 2002. The attack killed 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya, triggering widespread riots across Gujarat. The film, directed by Dheeraj Sarna and produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa R Kapoor, Amul V Mohan, and Anshul Mohan, delves into the events leading up to and following the tragedy.
The film’s release and the declarations by CM Yadav and Prime Minister Modi coincide with ongoing discussions about the 2002 Godhra incident, which has remained a controversial and sensitive subject in Indian politics and society. The Sabarmati Report aims to provide a perspective on the incident that both the state and central leadership have backed, highlighting their views on the leadership during the crisis.
