Anupam Kher’s ‘Buddha in a Traffic Jam’ screened in open air amid protests on Jadavpur campus

Both Agnihotri and actor Anupam Kher, who features in the film, were supposed to be present for the screening. “ABVP students organised the screening like a political rally. They were raising pro-Modi and pro-BJP slogans,” said Bitan Basu, a student of Film Studies department.

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Payal Sarkar, a student of the Arts department, said: “When ABVP members did not get permission for the screening, they started raising slogans against us.” Soon after, the screening of Nakul Singh Sawhney’s Muzaffarngar Baaqi Hai — a documentary based on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots — was disrupted by ABVP members. “They came to our screening and said that if they can’t screen their film, we also can’t do the same,” said Sarkar.

Vivek Agnihotri on the campus. (Express Photo)

“This was when things got violent and some of our students, including girls, were manhandled… Following this, some ABVP supporters were detained in the campus… Around 10.15 pm, a large number of ABVP supporters tried to enter the campus. We formed a human chain and stopped them, leading to a scuffle,” said Basu.

Following this, Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das reportedly handed over the “detained” students to the ABVP supporters waiting outside the gate, he added.

Arnab Mitra, a ABVP supporter, said: “Initially, we were given permission to screen the film in the auditorium. However, today morning we got to know that the permission has been withdrawn because of protests of ultra-leftist student bodies. When we screened the film in the open, they raised slogans against us and started beating us up.”

“They also detained four of our brothers — Debashish Chaudhury, Sandeep, Partha Chakraborty and Tanmay Basak. Debashish is a professor of Bangabasi College… Tanmay and Sandeep are admitted at the hospital. We are going to get an FIR lodged against the JU students,” he added.

Meanwhile, as producers went ahead with the screening of Buddha in a Traffic Jam at an open-air space in the campus, Agnihotri — who was reportedly welcomed at the JU gates with black flags, sloganeering and placards asking him to leave — claimed he was manhandled and gheraoed by students, leaving the glass pane of his car shattered.

“The students arranged a bedsheet and turned it into a screen to see my film. Many watched it and realised it is not what they were thinking. It is a realistic film,” Agnihotri, who has in the past made films like Hate Story and Goal, said.

Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das said the university had no role to play in the cancellation of the screening. “The hall doesn’t belong to us. It is not controlled at all by us. We have no role to play in the screening or cancellation,” he said. The film, which also stars Arunoday Singh, will be released nationwide on May 13.

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“This was when things got violent and some of our students, including girls, were manhandled,” said Basu.