BBC Documentary Row: Jamia To Take Action Against Students For 'Disrupting Peace On Campus'

The Jamia Millia Islamia University has decided to take action against students who decided to screen the movie on campus for "disruption of peace".

Jamia Millia Islamia University has decided to take action against students who decided to screen the movie on campus for "disruption of peace".

As the ruckus over the BBC documentary on PM Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots grows, Jamia Millia Islamia University has decided to take action against students who proposed to screen the movie on campus for "disruption of peace".

The Delhi Police has so far detained over 70 students who planned on screening the docufilm.

Jamia VC Najma Akhtar on Wednesday said: "SFI wants to disturb the peace on campus. We will never allow this kind of behaviour. Jamia will take action against students, if necessary, for disrupting peace on campus." "We do not want any disturbance on the campus. We desire to keep the peace and harmony in the university where students are studying and giving exams," Akhtar said.

"A small group like Students' Federation of India (SFI), which has no following, is holding protests. We do not approve of this kind of behaviour. Their aim is to disturb peace and harmony on the campus. At no cost I will allow this kind of behaviour under my watch," she added.

The Jamia Millia unit of Students' Federation of India (SFI), an Indian left-wing student organisation, on Tuesday released a poster stating that the documentary would be screened on campus. Following the announcement, the Delhi Police detained four students on Wednesday morning.

Later, the cops detained over 70 students who protested the detention of the four students.

The SFI also issued a statement: "In an atrocious manner, Azeez, a student of Jamia Milia Islamia and SFI Jamia Unit Secretary; Nivedya, a Jamia Student and SFI South Delhi Area Vice President; Abhiram and Tejas, both Jamia students and SFI Unit members have been detained by the Delhi Police prior to the screening of the documentary."

"The SFI Jamia Unit had decided to screen the BBC documentary today on the campus," it added.

The university said that no permission had been sought for the screening of the documentary and it will not be allowed.

"It has come to the knowledge of the university administration that some students belonging to a political organisation have circulated a poster about screening of a controversial documentary film on the university campus today," the university said in a statement.

The university earlier issued a memorandum/circular reiterating that no meeting/gathering of students or screening of any film shall be allowed on the campus without the permission of the competent authority.

The Jamia administration said: "It has come to the knowledge of the university administration that some students belonging to a political organisation (SFI) have circulated a poster about screening of a controversial documentary film on the university campus today."

"University administration again reiterates that no meeting/gathering of students or screening of any film shall be allowed in the campus without permission of competent authority, failing which strict disciplinary action shall be taken against the organisers. The university is taking all possible measures to prevent people/organisations having vested interest to destroy the peaceful academic atmosphere of the university," the administration was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

(With inputs from PTI.)