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Filmmaker Rakesh Sharma sues New York city
Indo-Asian News Service
Mumbai, Jan 11 (IANS) Award winning documentary filmmaker Rakesh Sharma has filed a legal suit against the city of New York for being detained and harassed while shooting a film there last year.
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Sharma, best known for his documentary "Final Solutions" on the sectarian violence in Gujarat in 2002, filed his suit Tuesday afternoon.
Referring to his harassment in May last year by the New York police, Sharma told IANS: "They asked me to apply for a formal permit to shoot the film and specify the name of the street, corners, buildings and pavements. They also asked me to get an insurance package of $1 million before commencing the shoot."
An upset Sharma wants strict action against the officers who detained him.
"I want three things - I want the city to fix its permit policy. Secondly, I am not only expecting a written apology but also want that the detectives who made racist remarks against me should be punished. Thirdly, I want that New York city should look into the training process of the NYPD (New York police department)."
In his petition, Sharma has mentioned that the officer's hostility towards him was driven at least in part by the fact that he is brown-skinned. The officer had insulted him by saying, "We know how to deal with you guys, asshole."
According to the filmmaker, this was the first time that the New York Film Permit Policy was being challenged on constitutional grounds.
"By stopping me they have prohibited the freedom of speech and expression of a filmmaker," he said.
The New York Civil Liberties Union is acting as his lawyer.
The incident took place in May 2005 when Sharma was shooting for a film on New York taxi drivers.
Sharma has won many international awards for "Final Solution" and for "Aftershocks", which is on the 2001 earthquake in Kutch, Gujarat.
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