Bihar govt waives state tax for ‘The Kashmir Files’

Deputy chief minister Tarkishore Prasad said the film is inspired by nationalism and accurately depicts the plight of Kashmiri Pandits

PATNA: After Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Haryana, Goa, Tripura and Uttarakhand, now the Bihar government has followed suit in making the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ tax-free in the state.

A man walks past a poster of ’The Kashmir Files’ outside a theatre in Mumbai. (REUTERS Photo)

The film, based on the reported atrocities faced by Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley for decades, will be tax-free in Bihar with effect from March 17.

Deputy chief minister Tarkishore Prasad on Wednesday said the film is inspired by nationalism and accurately depicts the then situation and realities of Kashmir, in the legislative Council.

Later, Prasad took to Twitter to make the announcement. “The Kashmir Files will be tax-free in the entire state of Bihar so that the common people can watch the film with ease and convenience,” he tweeted in Hindi.

Several BJP leaders have hailed the decision of the deputy chief minister, who also holds the finance portfolio in the state government.

A circular by the commercial taxes department was issued later, wherein it has been stated that cinema theaters/ multiplexes would charge ticket rate by deducting output SGST (state goods and services tax) from viewers, effective from today.

Starring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi in major roles, the film directed by Vivek Agnihotri is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s.