Despite an official advisory by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) warning students against screening the banned BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’, the program will go ahead as planned on campus on Tuesday night, the All India Students’ Union (AISF) confirmed. .
On Monday, JNU issued a formal warning, describing the planned screening of the film at Ganga Dhaba at 9 pm as “unauthorized and improper” and raising concerns that it could “disrupt communal harmony and peaceful atmosphere” on campus.
The advisory said: “It has come to the notice that a group of students has issued leaflets for the screening of a banned documentary scheduled at Ganga Dhaba tomorrow night at 9:00 PM. No prior permission has been obtained from IHA for this event. Such unauthorized activity has a negative impact on communal harmony and the peacefulness of the university campus. It is to emphasize that the environment can be disturbed.”
The advisory further warns: “The students/individuals concerned are strongly advised to refrain from all such activities failing which strict action will be taken as per University rules. This pamphlet is unauthorized and unfair, the stakeholders are also advised not to pick it up.”
However, AISF vice-president Santosh Kumar dismissed the university’s caution, saying the warning was vague and lacked specificity. “Neither the name of the film nor the name of the student group has been mentioned,” Kumar told The Indian Express.
He added, “The whole of India has watched this film. So, I don’t think there is anything wrong with its screening. The screening will take place tonight as scheduled.
A BBC documentary has become the focus of intense debate, offering a critical examination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Its airing has fueled tensions across political divides, with the Indian government blocking its full release.
AISF’s decision to screen the film comes in the context of political and social unrest, as the screening is allegedly to commemorate the alleged attack by Delhi Police on students at Jamia Millia Islamia in 2019 during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
In January 2023, student protests erupted at JNU and Delhi University over attempts to screen a documentary on campus.
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