Days after chaos in Delhi universities over the screening of the controversial BBC documentary on 2002 Godhra riots, the administration of Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Mumbai on Friday issued a cirular to its students, asking them to refrain from any such activity which “may disturb the academic environment and jeopardise the peace and harmony on campus”. Earlier this week, a student collective from TISS, Progressive Students' Forum (PSF), had announced the screening of the BBC documentary India: The Modi question on the campus on Saturday in solidarity with students from Delhi. On Friday, however, in a cirular to students, the TISS administration said: “It has come to our notice that some groups of students are planning to screen the BBC documentary that has created disturbance in some parts of the country. Some plan to organise gatherings to protest against related developments in a few universities. This is to inform all the students that the Institute has not permitted any such screening and gatherings, which may disturb the academic environment and jeopardise the peace and harmony in our campuses. Any action by students against the advisory will be dealt with strictly as per the rules. We advise all students to refrain from engaging in any such activities in contravention to this advisory.” Despite the warning, PSF announced that it will continue with the screening on Saturday. “Not an inch back. TISS students will watch BBC Documentary,” stated a social media post by the PSF. A set of students also held a protest on the campus in support of students from Delhi who were detained for screening the documentary. “A scanner code was circulated during the protest, with which not only this specific documentary but even other films on similar topics could be watched,” said a representative from TISS Students' Union. An official from TISS administration said, "We believe that our students will follow the instructions in the best interest of the institute and all its stakeholders, including students."
