Turned
away
by
the
Foreign
Correspondents
Club
and
the
Press
Club
of
India,
The
Kashmir
Files
director
Vivek
Agnihotri
says
he
has
been
banned
"undemocratically" and
will
go
ahead
with
a
press
conference
at
a
five-star
hotel
on
Thursday.
Mr
Agnihotri
had
posted
a
video
on
Tuesday
alleging
his
free
speech
was
banned
by
"the
watchdogs
of
free
speech"
with
FCC
cancelling
his
event
and
announced
he
would
hold
his
media
interaction
at
the
Press
Club
instead.
When
PCI
also
appeared
to
backtrack,
he
followed
it
up
with
a
tweet
on
Wednesday
slamming
the
organisation.
"Wow!
@PCITweets
also
cancelled
me.
The
watchdogs
of
democracy
and
messiah
of
free
speech
not
only
banned
me
undemocratically
but
are
also
lying
through
their
teeth," Mr
Agnihotri
tweeted,
sharing
screenshots
of
messages
of
an
agency
directed
to
book
PCI
for
the
event.The
director
then
said
he
will
have
an
"open
house
press
conference"
and
will
answer
the
"toughest
questions".
"Inviting
all
democratic
and
free
speech
pro-Truth
believers,
media
people,
correspondents,
reporters,
media
activists
and
those
with
empathy
for
Kashmir
Genocide
victims
tomm
at
3.30
PM
at
Le
MERIDIEN,
New
Delhi
(sic)," the
director
said
in
a
WhatsApp
message
to
PTI.
The
controversy
began
with
Mr
Agnihotri's
video
on
Tuesday,
attacking
the
FCC
and
alleging
that
he
was
"a
victim
of
a
hate
campaign".
He
went
on
to
say
he
would
hold
an
"open
house
press
conference" on
the
same
day
at
an
alternate
venue,
the
PCI.
However,
the
PCI
said
on
Twitter
it
is
"not
facilitating
any
event
on
May
5
by
any
individual
or
organisation."
"The
Club
allows
press
conferences
only
with
advanced
booking.
There
is
a
due
process,
and
bookings
have
to
be
done
through
a
member
of
the
Club,"
the
club
said.
In
his
video,
Mr
Agnihotri
also
said
the
Global
Kashmiri
Pandit
Diaspora
had
told
him
the
FCC
was
"very
keen" to
host
him.
"Few
days
back,
Global
Kashmiri
Pandit
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,"
he
said.
Accordingly,
the
press
conference
was
scheduled
for
7
pm
on
May
5
at
the
FCC.
An
executive
for
Zee
Studios,
the
banner
behind
"The
Kashmir
Files",
also
flew
to
Delhi
and
made
all
the
arrangements
including
"the
unusual
demand
to
hold
cocktails
and
dinner",
Mr
Agnihotri
said.
"...
but
to
my
shock
yesterday
I
received
a
call
from
their
president
saying
that
event
has
to
be
cancelled
as
some
very
powerful
media
has
taken
strong
objection
to
this
conference
and
have
threatened
to
resign
en
masse
if
it
is
allowed," the
filmmaker
said.
Mr
Agnihotri
said
he
has
since
received
calls
from
many
"democratic"
Indian
and
foreign
correspondents
who
wanted
the
press
conference
to
be
held
but
the
club
management
refused
to
listen
to
their
demands.
He
alleged
that
"some
powerful
agenda
driven"
foreign
media
is
part
of
an
anti-India,
anti-truth
and
anti-free
speech
conspiracy.
"I'm
a
victim
of
a
hate
campaign
by
the
same
media
which
has
been
falsely
blaming
India
for
spreading
hate,"
he
added.
"The
FCC
South
Asia
decided
to
cancel
a
promotional
event
and
has
no
further
comment,"
said
FCC
South
Asia
president
Munish
Gupta.
On
Tuesday,
Agnihotri
put
out
a
separate
tweet
tagging
Union
Home
Minister
Amit
Shah
and
Union
Petroleum
and
Natural
Gas
Minister
Hardeep
Singh
Puri
and
asked
for
their
intervention.
"Dear
@AmitShah
ji
and
@HardeepSPuri
ji,
I'd
like
to
know
what
is
the
purpose
of
giving
prime
property
to
such
anti-India,
anti-free
speech
Foreign
Correspondents
Club.
I
am
requesting
you
as
a
citizen
to
review
their
activities,
purpose
and
agenda,"
the
director
wrote.
Based
on
the
exodus
of
Kashmiri
Pandits
from
the
Valley
in
1990,
The
Kashmir
Files
was
released
in
March
and
has
grossed
over
₹
300
crore
worldwide.