The Odisha government on Thursday announced the exemption of the Bollywood movie ‘The Sabarmati Report‘, based on the 2002 Godhra train burning in Gujarat that triggered communal riots in the western state, from entertainment tax.

The film is based on the tragic events of February 2002, when a train carrying karsevaks was set on fire in Godhra, killing 90 devotees and triggering one of the worst communal riots in Gujarat.

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With this, Odisha becomes the eighth state, following Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat (all BJP-ruled states), to make the movie tax–free.

“More people should watch the movie because of its quality and content. Keeping in view the interest of the people, the movie is remitted from entertainment tax following the order of Chief Minister Mohan Majhi,” the government said in a statement on Thursday.

The government has decided to make the film ‘The Sabarmati Report‘, based on true events, tax–free in Odisha. The film shows how karsevaks were burnt alive in the Godhra fire incident. This film will make the people aware of the horrifying past events,” Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said in a post on ‘X’.

“Heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Ji and Government of Odisha for making #TheSabarmatiReport tax–free in the state. This support will help bring the truth of a significant chapter in our history to more people,” Ekta Kapoor, producer of the movie, stated on her ‘X’ handle.