A police complaint has been lodged by National Award-winning filmmaker Luit Kumar Barman against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his controversial remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, news agency PTI reported. Barman claimed that Modi had made a “highly derogatory statement” about the Father of the Nation in his complaint, which was submitted on Wednesday night to the Hatigaon police station in Guwahati. According to the police, no formal complaint has yet been filed in this regard, and a preliminary investigation is ongoing.

In a recent interview, Prime Minister Modi said, “that Mahatma Gandhi was a great person all over the world. Wasn’t it our responsibility over the last 75 years to make sure the entire world knew about Mahatma Gandhi? I’m sorry to say that no one knows about him. When the film ‘Gandhi’ was first released, there was widespread interest in who this person was. We have not done this…”

“This is a highly derogatory statement and cannot be accepted by a citizen of India,” Barman said in his complaint. “We cannot tolerate insults to Mahatma Gandhi as citizens. No movie is required to introduce him to the world,” said Barman, the producer of the Rajat Kamal-winning Assamese film “Boomba Ride” from 2021.

“By comparing Mahatma Gandhi to a film, Narendra Modi has defamed both Gandhi and the people of India. I request that you take action against Narendra Modi under the relevant sections of the law,” Barman added.

“No FIR had been filed and a preliminary investigation is underway,” PTI quoted Hatigaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Bijay Duwara as saying.