As students of the Delhi University protested against the government’s move to block the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi from screening, Section 144 was imposed in the North Campus. The Section 144 prohibits gathering of four or more people in an area if the administration feels there could be law and order issues.
With universities refusing permission for screenings, several campuses in the country saw chaos. The two-episode documentary titled "India: The Modi Question" takes a look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in the 2002 Godhra riots as well as his policies pertaining to a minority community since 2014. The BBC hasn’t even officially released the documentary in India.
The Indian government has labelled the documentary as "propaganda piece" and instructed social media platforms and video hosting websites to remove clips, videos, and links to the documentary under the emergency powers provided in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Students at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) organised a screening of the documentary Monday. Over 50 students from the Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) and Muslim Student Federation attended the screening.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) had also organised a screening Tuesday. However, the plan had to be scrapped as students claim they were pelted by stones even as the university administration cut power and internet to prevent the screening.
In Kerala, the Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, also screened the documentary. Political youth groups like Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) Kerala — CPI(M)'s youth wing and left aligned Students' Federation of India (SFI) also promised more screenings across campuses.
Members of the SFI tried to hold a screening at the Jamia Millia Islamia earlier in the week but the screening was cancelled and 13 students were detained by police. "In an atrocious manner, students of Jamia Milia Islamia and the SFI Jamia unit secretary were detained by Delhi Police prior to the screening of the documentary," the body said in a statement.
SFI also planned screenings of the documentary at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University Thursday and at Presidency University Friday.
In Delhi University’s Faculty of Art in North Campus, members of the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) were detained for protesting against the blocking of the documentary. The group had planned to screen the documentary but were denied permission by the university administration. The police was called in and Section 144 imposed in the area.
The police also stopped a screening at the Kozhikode Medical College campus Friday. The screening was organised by the college’s student body.
The Progressive Students' Forum (PSF) at TISS Mumbai had also planned a screening of the documentary in solidarity with other campuses yesterday. However, the university refused permission for a screening within campus and students screened the documentary at a different venue.
Also Read: BBC Documentary on Modi: JNU screening halted after stone pelting, power cuts | Top developments
