BBC Documentary Row Updates: 24 DU Students Detained; Registrar Blames 'Outsiders' for Ruckus

BBC documentary on PM Modi Updates: The BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state, continues to stir controversy. Despite the central government rejecting it as “propaganda” and a reflection of a “colonial mindset”, the Congress organised a public screening of ‘India: The Modi Question’ at a beach in Thiruvananthapuram amid heavy police deployment. The move led to a scuffle between the workers of the grand old party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as supporters of the saffron party tried to tear the screen. Pothencode police registered case against both BJP and Congress Youth workers.

In Tamil Nadu, over 10 students at Madras University created a ruckus over their demand to watch the movie after permission for screening was denied. Chennai Corporation councillor A Priyadarshini was detained on Thursday after she viewed the BBC documentary on her smartphone. A total of 20 people, including the councillor, were taken into custody.

Officials last week, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the Centre has ordered YouTube to take down copies of the documentary and asked Twitter to remove posts connected to it as the administration believes that the series poses a threat to the country’s sovereignty and public order. The Opposition criticised the move, accusing the government of promoting censorship and subverting dissent.

Here Are the Latest Updates:

• Police were called to the Delhi University campus to maintain law and order after “outsiders” tried to screen a controversial BBC documentary at the Arts Faculty on Friday, Registrar Vikas Gupta said after several students were detained. “We got to know that some students were trying to screen the documentary, so our proctor informed the police. There were many outsiders among those who tried to screen the film,” Gupta told PTI.

“Police came to maintain the law-and-order situation in the area,” Gupta added.

• “Whatever the course the Police have to take, they will take it. No permission had ever been sought from us, no permission was given…I-cards of those who were detained will be checked, it’ll be determined if they are DU students. If they are from outside Police will take action and if they’re from DU, appropriate action will be taken against them,” said Rajni Abbi, Delhi University proctor.

Police were seen dragging students away as they had gathered outside the Arts Faculty building to protest against not being allowed to screen the documentary on the 2002 Gujarat Riots.

• More than 100 students at Jadavpur University have reportedly watched the controversial documentary, with a Left student’s body having arranged its screening. The Student Federation of India (SFI), a Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s arm, said the police or institute authorities did not interfere with the screening at Jadavpur University on Thursday.

SFI state unit assistant secretary Subhajit Sarkar said that the student’s body will hold another screening at Presidency University on Friday. Authorities at Presidency are yet to give a formal nod, but “we will still go ahead with the show”, he said.

• Delhi Police have detained 24 students from the Delhi University’s Arts Faculty for planning to screen the controversial BBC documentary. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, “Around 4 pm, some 20 people came outside the Arts Faculty gate to screen the banned BBC documentary. As it can cause disturbance of peace and tranquility in the area, they were asked to disperse from there…When they did not, they were peacefully detained. A total of 24 people were detained.”

• Students and members of NSUI protesting outside the Faculty of Arts at the University of Delhi have been detained by the Delhi police under the provision of section 144 of CrPC.

• Section 144 has been imposed in and around the north campus area of Delhi university.

• ‘Azaadi’ slogans were reportedly raised by Delhi University students while watching a BBC documentary on PM Modi on their phones and laptops after the administration cut the power supply to stop screening. As per media reports, slogans were raised against the administration’s decision to stop the documentary. Some sections also raised slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ against the Left Wing Students’ protest, India Today reported.

•A senior police officer said adequate security arrangements have been made at Ambedkar university and Delhi University campus to maintain peace and tranquillity in the area.  “We will ensure that law and order is maintained by the deployment of police personnel, paramilitary forces and patrolling staff. Videography will also be done and we would also be using drones to videograph the entire act,” he said.

“However, we are making all the efforts to persuade students to not conduct any screening on the roads in the Delhi University campus. We will ensure that law and order is maintained and have taken adequate measures accordingly,” the officer added.

•In Delhi University, the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has announced to show the documentary on the 2002 Godhra riots at 4 pm in North Campus while the Bhim Army Student Federation said it will hold the screening at 5 pm outside the Arts Faculty in DU.

• At the Delhi government-run Ambedkar University at Kashmere Gate, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has given a call for screening the documentary at 1 pm. The left-affiliated All India Students’ Association (AISA) will be holding a protest to condemn the events that unfolded at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia earlier this week following a call for screening of the film.

•The Congress on Wednesday had also screened the documentary in Kozhikode in north Kerala, while the youth wing of the state’s ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India screened the film in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday amid protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

• In Hyderabad, the Students Federation of India (SFI) organised the screening at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) even as the RSS’ student wing, ABVP showed the controversial film ‘The Kashmir Files’, on the campus. The Fraternity Movement in UoH campus, a students’ group, had earlier organised the screening of the BBC documentary on January 21, at the varsity campus without prior notice or permission, prompting the University authorities to seek a report on the incident for taking necessary action.

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• In the national capital, Delhi University proctor Rajni Abbi said that the screening of the documentary cannot be allowed. She said that she has written to Delhi Police on the matter, they will take take action.

• Members of various Left organisations staged a protest at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus on Thursday against the “hooliganism” of the RSS-affiliated ABVP, a day after students claimed that stones were hurled at them during the screening of the controversial documentary. The students, affiliated to the Students’ Federation of India, Democratic Students’ Federation, All India Students Association and other organisations raised slogans against the ABVP and held placards that read ‘rise in the rage against ABVP hooliganism’.

• Thirteen students were detained for organising a screening of the BBC documentary at Jamia Millia Islami. The detained students were released after the Republic Day parade on Thursday, a senior police officer said.

• Student groups at Kolkata’s Presidency and Jadavpur universities, and Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences also lined up multiple screenings of the BBC documentary.

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• In Pondicherry, a group of ABVP members allegedly started sloganeering when the CPM-backed Students Federation of India (SFI) began the screening event at the hostels of Pondicherry University in the evening. There was also a scuffle between members of the two organisations. The students claimed that the Wi-Fi connection snapped before the event began, following which about 300 students from the various hostels gathered at the Gender Gate of the university and watched the documentary over laptops and cell phones, using mobile hotspot.

• Describing India banning the BBC documentary as a matter of press freedom, the US State Department said that it is high time to highlight the importance of democratic principles like freedom of expression and make it a point around the world as well as in India. Ned Price, the US State Department spokesperson, in a regular briefing underlined that Washington supports free press around the world and that it is a matter of utmost importance to highlight democratic principles like freedom of expression.

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