Mumbai: A short film on last year's Gujarat communal violence, 'Akrosh', documenting the suffering and woes of survivors in a series of interviews, has been refused a certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

"The 24-minute film depicts the government and police in bad light and its overall impact is negative as it leads to communal hatred among the communities," the Censor Board said, citing the main reason for refusal of certificate.

The regional officer of the Board R S Rawat said the film also violates guidelines 2 (iv), 2 (xviii) read with 3 (1) and hence it has decided to refuse a certificate to the film.

The film was viewed by the examining committee last week.

However, the makers of the film, produced under the banner of People's Media Initiative, protesting the Censor Board action said it has deliberately avoided any images of the gruesome violence and dead bodies.

"The film has limited itself only to the human anguish of the survivors, who have still to come to terms with the meaninglessness of it all," the producers, Ramesh Pimple and Geeta Chawda, said.

PTI