Student groups screen BBC documentary on PM Modi, 'The Kashmir Files' film at Hyderabad varsity

The Students Federation of India (SFI) on Thursday organised the screening of the controversial BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) here 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 India: The Modi Question 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.

The screening of the documentary India: The Modi Question, access to which was recently blocked by the Centre on social media platforms, was earlier announced by the SFI at the university campus.

“Glimpses from the successful screening of the documentary India: The Modi Question organised by SFI HCU on the Republic Day following the call of SFI CEC. More than 400 students turned up for the screening, rejecting the false propaganda and the attempts of ABVP to create unrest and the administration to disrupt the screening of the documentary. SFI-HCU salutes the student community who have stood for freedom of expression and campus democracy,” a social media post by SFI HCU said, tagging the photos.

UoH, is also known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU). Countering it, the students of ABVP HCU organised the screening of 'The Kashmir Files,' on the university campus today. Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the Bollywood film depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir following systematic killings of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

UoH Registrar Devesh Nigam in a statement said the Dean-Students' Welfare had counselled the student groups and issued an appeal not to do any screening of films in view of the law and order issue, maintaining peace and tranquillity in campus and forthcoming end-semester exams starting from next week. However, students decided to go ahead with their programme schedule.

“We have come to know that one group held the screening in one of the hostels,” he said adding the campus is peaceful. Earlier, a group of ABVP members staged a protest in front of the main gate of the varsity and raised slogans against the University administration alleging that the security personnel did not allow them to enter the varsity premises along with the screening equipment.

They held a sit-in and sought to know from the University administration how permission was granted to the SFI to screen the BBC documentary and said they will not allow its screening.

“The University Administration tried to stop the screening of the movie The Kashmir Files. When ABVP Karyakartas were bringing the projector from the main gate, University Security manhandled our Karyakartas. There was another attempt by the administration to seize our projector. We protested at the main gate and we have arranged everything for the screening. We appeal to the student community to join us in large numbers at Ambedkar Chowk (North ShopCom),” a social media post by the ABVP HCU said.

The Union government had last week directed social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube to block links to the documentary India: The Modi Question. The Ministry of External Affairs has trashed the documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset.

The two-part documentary claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.