Stopped from screening Gujarat riots documentary, JNU students watch it on laptop
In January 2023, protests by students erupted at JNU and Delhi University for attempting to screen the documentary on campuses.
2 min read
The BBC documentary has been at the centre of intense debate, given its critical examination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. (Express Photo/Representative)Despite an official advisory from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) cautioning students against screening the BBC documentary, ‘India: The Modi Question’, the event proceeded with students watching it on a laptop at Ganga dhaba on the campus Tuesday night.
This came after security guards on the campus interrupted the screening on an LCD screen by blocking the projector.
The documentary focuses on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s and his then-state government’s response to the 2002 Gujarat riots. In 2023, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blocked YouTube videos of the documentary as well as tweets linked to the videos.
On Monday, JNU issued a formal warning, describing the film’s screening planned at Ganga dhaba at 9 pm as “unauthorised and unwarranted” and raising concerns that it could “disturb communal harmony and peaceful environment” on campus. The advisory stated: “… No prior permission for this event has been taken from the IHA (Inter-Hall Administration)…”
However, the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) vice-president Santosh Kumar said the warning was vague. “Neither the name of the film nor the name of the student group’s been mentioned and this is an advisory, not an order by the administration,” Kumar told The Indian Express.
The AISF reportedly decided to screen the film to commemorate the alleged assault on students at Jamia Millia Islamia by Delhi Police during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019.
In a statement, the JNU Students’ Union said, “The JNUSU strongly condemns the JNU administration’s repeated attempts to curtail democratic spaces on campus by issuing an advisory against the screening of the BBC documentary… organised by the AISF…”
In January 2023, protests by students erupted at JNU and Delhi University for attempting to screen the documentary on campuses.
You May Like
Photos
