CBFC Flags Uncertified Umar Khalid Documentary Screening at IIIT-Hyderabad
The CBFC warned IIIT-Hyderabad that screening an uncertified Umar Khalid documentary would violate the Cinematograph Act; the institute denied involvement and students cancelled the event.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has flagged a proposed screening of a documentary on jailed activist Umar Khalid at the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H), stating that exhibiting an uncertified film publicly would breach the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption had been secured.
In a post on X, the CBFC tagged the institute and said its authorities "may take note for necessary action". The board operates under the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
IIIT-Hyderabad distanced itself from the event, saying neither the institute nor any of its recognised student clubs, cells or organisations had organised or hosted any screening of a film uncertified by the CBFC. It said it has established processes for official campus events and that any claim attributing an unauthorised activity to the institute or its recognised student bodies was factually incorrect.
The institute also noted that its students and faculty may interact with people in their individual capacities, and that such personal interactions should not be read as institute-organised events or as reflecting its views.
The documentary, "Prisoner No. 626710 is Present", directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was proposed to be screened by a group of students at the institute's KRB Auditorium at 8 pm on Friday. Sources said the students have now decided to cancel the screening.
The invitation for the event said it was planned to mark "Political Prisoners' Day", and also referred to the anniversary of the death of revolutionary Jatindra Nath Das, a comrade of Bhagat Singh who died after a prolonged hunger strike in Lahore jail in 1929.
The development follows the postponement of a proposed screening of the same documentary at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru, after opposition from the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). That screening, organised by the student-run Law and Society Committee, was scheduled for September 14 to mark Political Prisoners' Day and six years of Khalid's incarceration.
The ABVP had demanded that the NLSIU screening be cancelled, alleging it would amount to using the campus for political propaganda. The student committee subsequently postponed the programme, citing logistical and security considerations, while maintaining that it was not backing out under pressure and that the screening would be held later in the trimester.
The documentary centres on Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University research scholar arrested in September 2020 in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots. He has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions, and has remained in custody since his arrest.