Assam Police’s Documentary On Youth Falling Prey To Extremist Groups Bags Award At New Delhi Film Festival

Prior to bestowing the award, the documentary was screened at the festival on Thursday before a full house, where noted film personalities, critics, and movie lovers were present.

Guwahati: ‘Fehujali-A New Dawn,’ a documentary produced and directed by the Assam Police has bagged the “Best Short Documentary Award” at the prestigious “7th New Delhi Film Festival 2024 (NDFF 2024).” Prior to bestowing the award, the documentary was screened at the festival on Thursday 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 award-winning documentary is written and directed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Assam’s Special Task Force (STF) Parthasarathi Mahanta, with English subtitles meticulously curated by Jovial Kalita. The documentary is based on the youth of Assam, who fall into the trap of various militant organisations and join the outfits with false hopes, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Assam Police Pranabjyoti Goswami said in a statement. 

Speaking about the documentary, DGP Singh said that the underprivileged and disgruntled youth of Assam are lured by the insurgent groups to join their outfit through various means. He said that as several youth of the state have been seen falling prey to these extremist groups, it became necessary to portray the veracity of the “infodemic” of the militant organisations.  

“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. 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,” the top cop said.

On the other hand, the director of the documentary, IGP Mahanta, who is also an acclaimed filmmaker, said that the film shows the plight and struggles of the youth of the state after they join the extremist groups.

“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. 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,” IGP Mahanta said.  

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, CPRO Goswami added in the statement.

Notably, the documentary has previously bagged the “Best Short Documentary Award” at the “Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF 2024)” in January this year.