BBC documentary controversy: Left student organizations in West Bengal plan to screen the controversial BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the campuses of at least two universities in Kolkata.
The Student Federation of India (SFI) will screen the documentary at Jadavpur University on Thursday and at Presidency University the next day, said Subhajit Sarkar, assistant secretary of the state organisation. “The documentary will be shown through a projector. We are yet to get the permission from the university authorities. Even if we do not get it, we will continue the screening,” said Sarkar.
“We hope that many ordinary students, including those who don’t support us, will come and see it. We want people to join us in discussion and debate about the film.”
The All India Students’ Association (AISA), another Left body, also decided to screen the documentary on January 27 at the Jadavpur University campus, said Sandip Nayak, a senior member of the organisation. One of the organisers, Moitrio Sarkar, said that members of the Visual Arts Society of Presidency University would also be screening the documentary on 1 February.
Earlier on Tuesday, some students of Jawaharlal Nehru University watched the documentary on their personal devices even though the administration had cut off power supply and internet.
MEA calls it a ‘propaganda piece’
Earlier last week, India condemned the documentary series on PM Modi, describing it as a ‘propaganda piece’ to push a discrediting narrative. “We feel this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discrediting narrative. Bias and lack of objectivity and blatantly colonial mindset are evident,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing. Visibly visible.
Earlier on Saturday, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) screened the first episode of the documentary to around 200 students on the campus. Police officials said that after this the investigation will be started after receiving the written complaint.
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