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A campus screening of a documentary film on jailed activist Umar Khalid has been canceled at the International Institute of Information Technology - Hyderabad (IIIT-H), after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) called on the institute’s administration to act against the event.
IIIT H Director, Sandeep Kumar Shukla, said the institute had cancelled the event and the booking of the venue, KRB auditorium. In an email sent out to students on September 17, hours after the CBFC objected to the screening, the Director said that “no public or "private" screening in any institute space including any lab or classroom or offices will be allowed.”
CBFC had objected to a planned screening of Lalit Vachani’s documentary Prisoner No. 626710 is Present at the International Institute of Information Technology - Hyderabad (IIIT-H) on September 18, saying it is yet to be certified by them. The screening was organised by an independent students’ collective at IIIT Hyderabad called No Tyrants, No Silence.
A public screening of a documentary film that has not yet been certified by the CBFC was a violation of the Cinematograph Act, it said, asking the authorities at IIIT-H to take note for “necessary action.” The screening was planned for 8 pm on September 18 at the KRB auditorium on campus.
“It was brought to our notice that a film was planned to be shown tomorrow at KRB auditorium and it was even announced to the outside community through social media - however, no permission for such a film show was sought from competent authorities and hence such announcement to the campus community or to the outside community was not legitimate,” the email said, adding that next time, students must take written permission before organising such an event or announcing it on social media.
While the law disallows public exhibition of a film without certification, filmmakers hold private screenings of their films for small groups of people when facing certification delays or censorship.
The screening was planned in solidarity with Umar Khalid, marking Political Prisoners' Day (September 13) and the sixth anniversary of his arrest.
A former student leader at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Umar Khalid was arrested in connection with the Delhi riots case and has been in custody since September 2020. He has been charged under the UAPA and other provisions of law, and is yet to face trial though six years have passed.
A few days earlier, a similar screening at Bengaluru’s National Law School of India University (NLSIU) scheduled for September 14 was postponed citing “logistical and security considerations”.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which had opposed the screening, claimed credit for the deferral and demanded that the event be cancelled entirely. However, the organisers said they had not backed out because of pressure from anyone, and that the screening would be held this trimester.
An email from Law & Society Committee (Law Soc), a student organisation at NLSIU which had organised the screening, said, “The postponement is a precautionary step taken to ensure that the screening can be held in a safe and responsible manner.”
