BBC documentary on PM Modi screened at Kolkata's Jadavpur University
The left-wing Students Federation of India (SFI) screened the banned BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kolkata's Jadavpur University campus on Thursday evening, reportedly without any interference from the police or university administration. The SFI unit at the University of Hyderabad also screened the documentary while right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organized the screening of The Kashmir Files.
Why does this story matter?
The BBC released a documentary India: The Modi Question investigating PM Modi's involvement as the state's chief minister in the 2002 Gujarat riots, which killed over 2,000 people. Soon after its release, the government banned the documentary and termed it colonial propaganda pushing a "discredited narrative." In defiance of the ban, various groups across the country announced the screening of the controversial documentary.
More screenings to be organized by AISA, SFI
Another left-leaning group, the All India Students' Association (AISA) has also announced the screening of the documentary on Jadavpur University's campus on Friday. The SFI unit of Presidency University in Kolkata earlier sought permission from the university administration to screen the two-part docu-series. Members of the Presidency University's visual arts society have also announced another screening on campus on Wednesday.
13 students detained before screening in Jamia Millia
On Wednesday, 13 Jamia Millia Islamia University students were detained for allegedly causing a commotion outside the campus after the administration denied permission to screen the controversial documentary after which, classes were suspended, and students were denied entry to the campus. Following the commotion, riot police reached the university's gates in vans with tear gas cannons to take control of the situation.
JNU students who organized screening faced blackout, stone pelting
Students who organized a screening of the documentary in Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday night alleged they were met with an administration-sponsored blackout and then stone pelting. While the university administration claimed the outage was caused by a line fault, the discom refuted the claims, saying there was no supply issue from their end and they received no complaint from the university.
BBC documentary screened in Hyderabad, Pondicherry, Kerala
Earlier, a student group at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) screened the documentary, prompting the university's administration to request a report on the matter from its officials. The SFI unit at Pondicherry University also screened the documentary on campus. The Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPIM) youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), organized multiple screenings across Kerala, which the BJP termed "treasonous."
