BBC Documentary Screening: Security Beefed Up Outside Jamia Millia University, 5 Students Detained

Security has been beefed up outside Jamia Milia ahead of the screening of the BBC Documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Security has been beefed up outside Jamia Milia ahead of the screening of the BBC Documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Security has been heightened outside the Jamia Milia University ahead of the screening of the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots. Five students have also been detained so far. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been deployed outside the university after a row erupted in the Jawaharlal Nehru University over the screening of the documentary.

A poster was released by the youth wing of the Congress in this regard, following which the college authorities took note of the issue and issued a notice with orders the violation of which would lead to action.

The Students' Federation of India has claimed that members of the outfit including its Unit Secretary Nivedya, South Delhi Area Vice President Abhiram, and Tejas were detained as well.

They claimed that Nivedya was also manhandled by the security guards and that they allegedly tried to snatch her mobile phone on which she was trying to record the situation. The SFI Jamia Unit had decided to screen the BBC documentary today on campus and has called for a protest over the alleged police crackdown.

This comes after the ruckus over the screening of the documentary at JNU. The authorities at JNU stopped the electricity supply to the students' union office on Tuesday to prevent the screening of the documentary. Internet connection on the campus was also taken down. 

Sources also reported stone pelting between members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-wing students. 

Students, on the other hand, downloaded the documentary onto their mobile phones through an online application to watch and share, PTI reported quoting All India Students Association (AISA) national president N Sai Balaji.

On Monday, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union announced the screening of 'India: The Modi Question,' a documentary that has sparked widespread political debate in India and abroad. The university administration had threatened disciplinary action if the film was shown without permission from the authorities, as per the report. 

The administration had expressed concern that the documentary's screening might disrupt the university's peace and harmony, the report said. 

The documentary is based on events that occurred during the 2002 Gujarat riots when PM Modi was the state's chief minister. The first episode of the series was broadcast in the United Kingdom on January 17, causing a tremendous uproar. The ministry of external affairs described the documentary as propaganda and said it reflected a colonial attitude last week.

Following the centre's crackdown on the documentary, more than 50 tweets were removed. The government even asked YouTube to remove videos of the documentary.

Kiren Rijiju, the law minister, also condemned the BBC documentary, calling it a vicious campaign launched both inside and outside the country. "Some people consider the BBC above the Supreme Court of India," he had added.

The opposition parties have condemned the government's crackdown on the BBC documentary. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth arm of the ruling CPI(M), has announced that the documentary will be screened in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram today evening, the report added. 

The centre had sharply criticised the BBC, describing it as "a propaganda effort aimed to propagate a specific discredited narrative."

The foreign ministry has stated that "the bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible."