New Delhi

On Monday, the West Bengal government announced its decision to ban The Kerala Story. The film has been courting controversy ever since its trailer was released and has been facing stiff protests in several states. 

The Chief Minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee announced the government's decision on Monday at the state secretariat. The announcement came after Banerjee alleged that "the BJP was funding a film on Bengal on the lines of Kashmir Files."

The CM has directed the state chief secretary to ensure that the film is not running in any theatre across the state. Banerjee stated that the decision to ban the film has been taken to "maintain peace in Bengal" and avoid any incident of hate crime and violence. 

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar slammed the ruling TMC government’s move and claimed Mamata Banerjee wants to “close her eyes to the reality”.

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Reacting to the ban on The Kerala Story in West Bengal, film's producer Vipul Shah said, "If that is what she has done, we will take legal action. Whatever is possible under the provisions of law, we will fight."

What is the controversy around The Kerala Story?

The Kerala Story, featuring Adah Sharma in the lead, centres around alleged religious indoctrination in Kerala and how Hindu and Christian women are being targeted by radical Islamic clerics. The movie claims that these women were forcefully converted to Islam and later sent to countries like Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria "to fight for the cause of Islam".

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The film has faced severe backlash from several groups across the country. In Kerala itself, various groups staged protests and demanded a stay on the release of the film which hit theatres on May 5 across India.

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