BBC Documentary Row: Delhi Police detains 4 Jamia Millia Islamia University students for creating ruckus outside campus

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on January 25 detained four students from a Left-wing student organisation for allegedly creating a ruckus outside the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University in the national capital, over screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to the police, the commotion took place after the Students Federation of India (SFI), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) announced that it will organise a screening of the controversial documentary on the Prime Minister titled ‘India: The Modi Question.’

The action was initiated on the request of the Chief Proctor of the University, after the students had announced the screening of the documentary on the campus at 6 pm.

The detained students have been identified as Azeez, Nivedya, Abhiram, and Tejas.

However, security has been strengthened outside JMI University.

“This is to reiterate that no meeting/gathering of students shall be allowed in any part of the campus including lawns and gates without prior permission of the competent authority, failing which strict disciplinary action shall be taken against the organisers”, the university said in a circular.

“All Deans of the Faculties, Heads of the Departments, Directors of Centres are advised to display this notice on all the notice boards of their respective Faculties/Departments/Centres on a priority basis for the information of all students,” the circular added.

Earlier on January 23, the administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi also warned against screening the BBC documentary on the campus after a group of students released a pamphlet inviting students to a screening of the film at the student’s union’s office at 9 pm on January 24.

The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) wrote to the university administration over its firm advisory against the screening of the BBC documentary stating that they “do not seek to create any form of disharmony” and their purpose is to only watch it on the campus. It also mentioned in the letter that the students with “voluntary interest” would take part in the screening.