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Vivek Agnihotri alleges multiple FIRs filed over The Bengal Files
He accused the state of deliberately attempting to block the release through legal pressure.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 05, Aug 2025
- 14:42 EDT
- 9
Vivek Agnihotri and The Bengal Files /
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, currently in the United States promoting his upcoming film The Bengal Files, has alleged that multiple FIRs have been filed against him by members of West Bengal's ruling party the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
He claims the move is an attempt to intimidate him and obstruct the film’s release, which he describes as exposing “dark chapters of Indian history.”
Also Read: The Bengal Files: Truths that were lost in time
In a video statement, Agnihotri said, "The Bengal Files is one of the most defining and important films on Hindu genocide. It uncovers many dark chapters of our history which vested interests have hidden for long."
Agnihotri stated that several FIRs were lodged in different cities and police stations across West Bengal while he was abroad. He initially refrained from disclosing this publicly, citing his faith in the legal process. “We were taking the legal course. I have great faith in the Indian judiciary, especially the Calcutta High Court,” he said.
Court documents confirm that the Calcutta High Court, through a single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta, has issued an interim stay on FIRs registered in Murshidabad and Lake Town (Kolkata). The stay is valid until Aug. 26, with the next hearing scheduled for Aug. 19.
However, Agnihotri alleged that even as the matter was being heard, more FIRs were filed. “The ruling party wants to trap us in so many legal hassles that we cannot focus on the promotion of the film,” he said. He accused the state of deliberately attempting to block the release through legal pressure.
The filmmaker also revealed that his team was denied permission to shoot in West Bengal and had to complete the production in Mumbai. “We have put in everything we had to make this very, very difficult film,” he said, adding that it was produced with limited resources but high conviction.
Agnihotri further suggested that the West Bengal government fears the film’s potential influence on younger audiences. “Gen Z and young people are flocking to theatres and discovering this hidden truth of Bengal. Is that what they are scared of?”
Referring to The Bengal Files as “a people’s film,” Agnihotri appealed for public support, urging citizens to “expose all those agencies and powers who do not want this film to come out.”
In a defiant conclusion, the filmmaker announced plans to release the trailer in West Bengal itself. “Nobody can silence me. Because nobody can silence the truth. Vande Mataram. Satyamev Jayate,” he said.
The film, which is the latest in Agnihotri’s “Files” series after The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files, reportedly explores episodes of communal violence in Bengal’s past, including events surrounding the 1946 Calcutta Killings and Noakhali riots. It is scheduled for release on Sept. 5.
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