Indian authorities detained several students in the national capital as they thwarted their plans to organize a screening of a banned BBC documentary about the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the violence.
(Bloomberg) — Indian authorities detained several students in the national capital as they thwarted their plans to organize a screening of a banned BBC documentary about the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the violence.
Police on Wednesday detained about 70 students of Jamia Milia Islamia University who wanted to screen the documentary India: The Modi Question, the Press Trust of India reported, citing a students’ union representative. While a majority of the students were released the same day, 13 are still in detention, according to the news agency.
A Delhi police spokesperson didn’t immediately comment on the detentions.
Students in other parts of the country also plan to screen the documentary in universities, according to the news agency. The Indian government has asked social media giants Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube to take down videos and tweets about the documentary and has dismissed it as propaganda.
The detention of students and blocking of the film on social media platforms came ahead of a public holiday commemorating India’s constitution, signaling the Modi government’s growing sensitivity to criticism amid shrinking media freedoms. According to the 2022 edition of the Press Freedom Index published by the Reporters Without Borders, India fell to 150th position — its lowest ever— out of 180 countries.
India Slams BBC Documentary on 2002 Riots in Modi’s Home State
India’s move to take down videos and tweets about the documentary has attracted criticism from some opposition lawmakers.
The BBC documentary focuses on sectarian violence in Gujarat when Modi was chief minister. More than 1,000 people — mostly Muslims — were killed across the state after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was allegedly burned by a Muslim mob. Human rights groups blamed Modi for doing little to stop the violence, allegations that he had denied and were later dismissed by India’s Supreme Court.
In the documentary, former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was featured saying the British government conducted an inquiry and concluded that the administration of Modi had “created a climate of impunity” for the rioters.
The BBC has restricted the broadcast of the documentary in India, allowing the government to block the film on social media platforms. Any attempts to screen the film will be a violation of Intellectual Property Rights, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last Thursday.
(Updates with students arrest in the second paragraph)
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