Ever since the BBC Documentary on Prime Minister Modi’s role in the Gujarat riots came out, a notorious set of events have rolled out.
The Documentary goes on to portray one of India’s most powerful politicians’ associations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), his rise through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and finally his tiff with the largest minority of India, or the Muslim population.
Right after the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed in Parliament, numerous student bodies and university faculties took to the street in protest. This Documentary seemed to have rekindled the same spirit with which revolution, yet again, has spoken loud and clear.
Hyderabad University
The University of Hyderabad student group or the Fraternity Movement decided to screen and conduct a discourse on the first part of the BBC Documentary which portrays the Gujrat riots, on 21st January, in their north campus.
The University Authority has proclaimed that the episode of “India: the Modi Question” was screened on the campus without any prior information being sent to the authority or any permission being taken from them.
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
The Progressive Student’s Forum (PSF), on 29th January, screened “India: The Modi Question” within the college campus despite strict notifications from the college authority which warned the student body against the same.
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Soon after the screening was completed, students affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) staged a protest outside the campus claiming that this screening was an attempt at “triggering” the “aam-janata” (or the common man).
Delhi University
On 27th January, students of Delhi University decided to screen the BBC Documentary. The college authorities got an air of the same and notified the Delhi Police beforehand. They rushed in on the day of the planned screening to “protect law and order”.
As a result, 24 students were taken into arbitrary detention while the rest continued to protest on being denied their right to screen the documentary.
Jadavpur University
On the same day as the screening at the Hyderabad University, Kolkata’s Jadavpur University went ahead in the same spirit to screen the Documentary. It was, in fact, screened twice in Jadavpur by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). The day of the screening was Republic Day.
Victoria College
SFI screened the controversial BBC documentary in Governor Victoria College where the Yuva Morcha workers took out a march in protest against the same. The presence of the police halted a violent clash between the SFI and the Yuva Morcha.
The College authorities reported that the screening was done without prior permission or notification and that the College Principal was not allowed to enter the department room where the screening was being carried out.
Presidency University
The SFI unit of the prestigious Presidency University of Kolkata has decided to follow in the footsteps of its fellow student units in Jadavpur and Jamia. The SFI has sent a notification to the college author seeking permission to screen the Documentary in the Badminton Court within the campus. The college authorities are yet to respond to the notification.
Yet again, the fulmination of students across the country has shaken the very bases of political propaganda. The youth have spoken loud and clear. But will they listen?
Disclaimer: This article is fact-checked
Image Credits: Google Photos
Sources: Indian Express, Times Of India, Hindustan Times
Connect with the Blogger: Srotoswini Ghatak
This post is tagged under: BBC Documentary students, BBC Documentary, DU Students, DU Students detained, bbc documentary DU Students, bbc documentary modi, bbc documentary controversy
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