‘Romantic relationship’ between Indian army officer and Kashmiri boy denied by Mod

Uttarakhand: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed that a film that portrays the Indian Army in a bad light has been denied clearance. It focused on the relationship between an Indian Army officer and a local Kashmiri boy. Pilibhit’s BJP MP, Varun Gandhi, had sought an explanation from the government as to why clearance was not granted for a film based on an Army officer’s life.

The MoD wrote in response to him: ‘The reason for refusing to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) is a portrayal of a romantic relationship between an Army soldier serving in Kashmir and a local boy, which casts the Indian Army in a bad light and raises security concerns’. It also stated that the approval process is not arbitrary or discriminatory in nature, nor does it violate Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

‘Each case is considered based on its own merits, keeping in view factors like national security, the defence of India, situation of law and order in the country/various states, maintenance of discipline in the Armed Forces, ethos/customs of military service and general sentiments of the citizens and image of the Armed Forces in the minds of the citizens of India/general public,’ said the Defence ministry.

Further, the MoD claims that the approval process does not violate Article 19(1) (a) of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. This law stated, ‘Freedom of speech and expression is subject to reasonable limitations when they are required to protect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or incitement to an offence’.

‘The rationale behind issuing NOCs to filmmakers/producers is to ensure that films with defence-related themes are not portrayed in a manner which brings disrepute to the Armed Forces, the Government or the Country, as well as to ensure factual accuracy and that no classified information is shared in the public domain that could harm national security’, the MoD added. The Ministry of Defence also stated that over the last year, 16 such film proposals were granted clearance, while one was rejected and one is pending.