CBFC flags uncertified Umar Khalid documentary screening planned at IIIT Hyderabad
The CBFC has asked IIIT Hyderabad to act on a planned screening of a documentary on Umar Khalid, saying the film lacks certification.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has asked authorities at IIIT Hyderabad to take note of a proposed screening of a documentary on activist Umar Khalid, stating that exhibiting an uncertified film in public runs afoul of the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption has been obtained.
In a post on X, the CBFC tagged a screenshot indicating that the documentary, Prisoner No. 626710 is Present, was to be shown at the KRB Auditorium on the institute's campus at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 18, 2026. The board, a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, urged the institute's administration to take necessary action.
The film centres on Khalid, who has been in judicial custody for the past six years in the "larger conspiracy" case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. He was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, and charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were invoked against him. A trial in the case is yet to begin.
The planned screening follows a similar event at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, where the Law and Society Committee, a students' organisation, postponed a showing that had been scheduled for September 14. That decision came after objections were raised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and associated activists. The ABVP's Bengaluru unit also wrote to Union Ministers seeking permanent cancellation of the screening and a high-level enquiry against the university administration.