KARACHI, Feb 6: Communalism and fascist tendencies have been rising in India for two decades, says Indian filmmaker Gauhar Raza.

Speaking at a function organized by the City Press to screen his two documentaries - "In dark times" and "When evil stalks the land", Gauhar Raza said fascist and communal forces were gaining ground and the space available to democracy-loving secular forces was shrinking gradually.

Elaborating the point he said: "During the massacre of Sikhs and attacks on their property, which followed the murder of the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in the early 1980s, when people stood up to protect their Sikh neighbours, the rioters did not attack the protectors. But, during the Gujrat carnage when the neighbours tried to protect the lives and property of Muslims, and their were many such instances, the rioters attacked the protectors.

"Within a couple of days of the Sikh massacre many people came out with stories about how they had protected their Sikh neighbours, and many Sikhs told the stories how and by whom they had been protected. People got reports registered with the police. "But this time the people who had provided protection, and there were many such people, did not talk about it due to fear of the rioters. This shows the growing influence of communalism and fascism in Indian society."

Mr Raza said he had faced difficulties getting telecast his documentaries, one of which was based on the Gujrat massacre and the other one was a symbolic film showing the rise of fascism in Germany in the 1930s.

"The documentary, made in the late 1990s, depicts the gradual rise of the Nazis who were not in a majority and initially formed a coalition government. They eventually took over completely and carried out genocide of a minority community.

"What happened in Germany has much in common with the Indian political scene. The BJP also did not have a majority and formed a coalition government. The minority community is being systematically marginalized and victimized. The documentary had forecasted that if steps were not taken things could get worse as they did in Germany. No steps were taken, and after a few years the Gujrat massacre happened," said Mr Raza.

The other documentary - When evil stalks the land - is based on the Gujrat massacre. "Though it was filmed a month after the tragedy, the atmosphere was so charged that many times the crew had to finish up their work quickly, as hostile crowds started surrounding them," the filmmaker said.