The controversy around the BBC propaganda documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role as a head of state during the 2002 Gujarat riots has now reached Delhi University. On Friday, January 27, Rajni Abbi, the proctor of Delhi University said that the varsity will not allow the screening of the BBC documentary on the campus.
After receiving information that the Congress-affiliated student body National Students Union of India (NSUI) has planned to screen the propaganda documentary at the Arts faculty, DU proctor Abbi wrote to Delhi Police.
“We wrote to the Delhi Police about this. They will take action. Proper police deployment would be done. We cannot allow such a screening,” Rabbi told PTI.
“As per the information we have, NSUI plans to screen this documentary at the Arts faculty. No permission has been sought for it. We won’t permit such behaviour,” Abbi said adding that the government had outlawed the documentary.
Meanwhile, the Congress-affiliated National NSUI and the Bhim Army Student Federation have announced that the screening will be held at 5 p.m. on North Campus, outside the Arts faculty.
Join For the BBC Documentary Screening of “India : The Modi Question”
— Bhim Army Student Federation DU (@basf_du) January 26, 2023
Tomorrow at 5PM ,at Art’s faculty gate no 4, Delhi University
Bhim Army Student Federation, Delhi University#BBCdocumentry pic.twitter.com/DDuBTo7QTR
Apart from DU, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) of Presidency University in Kolkata has additionally sought permission to screen the banned documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots on January 27 at 4 pm.
The SFI at Presidency University claimed it had submitted an email to university officials to reserve the badminton court on campus, where the video would be screened on a large screen. The university administration has yet to react to the request.
#SFI at Presidency University plans to organise open screening of the @BBC documentary India the Modi Question on 27th Jan at 4pm pic.twitter.com/FlSpKdMMBC
— Syeda Shabana (@ShabanaANI2) January 25, 2023
This comes after the screening of the propaganda BBC documentary titled “India: The Modi Question” was halted at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia university on January 25. The SFI’s plan to screen the controversial docuseries at Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi also didn’t materialise after the university administration refused permission for the screening. Several SFI members were detained by police for the same.
Notably, India had recently denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described as a ‘propaganda piece’ designed to push a discredited narrative. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing. On Saturday, the Center issued orders to Twitter and YouTube to block links to the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question.”
