Monitoring Desk
NEW DELHI: The situation remained tense at one of India’s top universities over the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his role in the Gujarat riots in 2002.
At Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Students accused officials of cutting off electricity and internet supply to stop Tuesday evening’s documentary screening. The university officials have yet to comment on the allegations.
Indian authorities have said that the BBC documentary lacks objectivity and termed it “propaganda.”
India has invoked emergency laws to block the BBC documentary on YouTube and Twitter.
The JNU administration had asked the students’ union not to hold a screening of the documentary, as it could “disturb the harmony and peace of the university campus.”
Although the electricity cut prevented the public screening, student leaders distributed QR codes among the people and asked them to stream the video on their phones and laptops.
BBC documentary screening in India’s university
A heavy police contingent was present on campus. A BBC reporter there said that while students were watching the documentary, a group of 20-30 people threw stones at them. Students say they have filed a complaint with the police.
The first episode of the documentary titled India: The Modi Question – a two-part documentary – aired in the UK on 17 January. The second part was broadcast on Tuesday.
India’s foreign ministry criticized the documentary, calling it “a propaganda piece designed to push a discredited narrative.”
The BBC said the documentary examines “the tensions between India’s Hindu majority and Muslim minority and explores the politics of Mr Modi concerning those tensions.” BBC said that the Indian government was offered a right to respond but had declined.
The documentary’s first episode tracked Modi’s first steps into politics, from his rise through the ranks of the BJP to his appointment as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat.
A spokesperson of YouTube said the BBC had blocked the video from appearing due to a copyright claim. A spokesperson of BBC said: “As is standard practice, we follow the procedure to have illegal uploads of any BBC content removed.”
The university students’ union has said it will hold another documentary screening. Several other organizations have also held screenings or announced plans to do so.
