GUWAHATI: “Fehujali-A New Dawn”, a documentary produced and directed by the Assam police has bagged yet another award.
The documentary this time has bagged the “Best Short Documentary Award” at the 7th New Delhi Film Festival 2024 (NDFF 2024).
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Before presenting the award, the documentary was screened at the festival on Thursday (March 28) before a full house, where noted film personalities, critics and movie lovers were present.
Produced by Assam director general of police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh, the documentary is written and directed by inspector general of police (IGP) of Assam police’s special task force (STF) Parthasarathi Mahanta, with English subtitles by Jovial Kalita.
The documentary delves into the plight of the underprivileged youth of Assam, who are targeted by the extremist groups as potential recruits through various coercive tactics, including the lure of money.
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Once inducted into the militant organisations, these youth quickly discern the futility of their so-called mission to liberate Assam from India.
They realise that they are pawns manipulated by certain foreign powers exploiting misplaced patriotism, leading them to return home disillusioned with the initially promised dreams.
“We have seen some young boys and girls joining camps of terrorist groups falling for various gimmicks being peddled. So, we decided to bring to the public domain the true-life stories of disillusionment amongst those who had fallen prey to such a propaganda campaign and joined the terrorist organisations,” Assam DGP GP Singh said.
“They wanted to share their ordeal with other similarly placed youths to prevent them from making the same mistake that they had made. It is our effort to awaken our youths to reality,” he added.
Director of the documentary, IGP Mahanta said that the film shows the plight and struggles of the youth of Assam after joining the militant organisations.
“The documentary ventures into the struggles of the marginalised youth within the state, ensnared by the extremist factions employing coercive methods, including financial enticement, as recruitment tactics,” IGP Mahanta said
“The narrative unfolds the disillusionment faced by these individuals upon realising the futility of their purported mission to liberate Assam from India, recognising themselves as mere pawns manipulated by foreign interests exploiting misguided patriotism. Their journey back home is one marked by shattered dreams and newfound clarity,” he added.
Through compelling cinematic storytelling, the documentary serves as a clarion call to the disenchanted youth, imploring them to steer clear of the allure of extremism and embrace a path of purpose and righteousness.
The documentary has garnered widespread acclaim and admiration. Audiences have expressed profound appreciation.
The overwhelming positive reception of this documentary underscores its significance as not just a cinematic achievement but also a powerful tool for awareness and change.
Fehujali-A New Dawn has earlier bagged the “Best Short Documentary Award” at the “Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF 2024)” in January 2024.
According to a 2021 Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) report, the terrain, the state of socio-economic development and historical factors such as language, ethnicity, tribal rivalry, migration, control over local resources and long and porous international borders have resulted in a fragile security situation in the Northeast states.
This has resulted in violence, extortion and diverse demands by various Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs), which maintain safe havens and camps in the neighbouring countries.
The insurgent outfits indulge in violent and terror activities and intimidate people with arms in order to achieve their objectives and demands. They also maintain cross-border links, procure arms, recruit and train their cadres, and indulge in unlawful activities.
Assam has faced a major crisis due to nearly 45 years of insurgency in the state. Though in recent years, insurgency in Assam has seen a rapid decline with the majority of the extremist groups joining the mainstream, a number of banned militant organisations are still active and allegedly recruit youth of the state in their groups.