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), saying public exhibition of an uncertified film would violate the Cinematograph Act unless an exemption had been obtained.
The documentary, “Prisoner No. 626710 is Present”, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened by a group of students at the institute’s KRB Auditorium at 8 pm on Friday. According to reports, the students have since decided to cancel the proposed screening.
The CBFC said on Thursday that screening a documentary that had not received certification would be a violation of the law unless a specific exemption had been secured. It also tagged IIIT-H authorities and asked them to take note of the matter.
IIIT-H, however, said it had no role in organising the event. The institute stated that neither it nor any of its recognised student clubs, cells or organisations had organised or hosted a screening of an uncertified film.
The institute said it has established procedures for official events and activities on campus and that attributing an unauthorised activity to the institution or its recognised student bodies would be factually incorrect.
It also clarified that students and faculty members may interact with individuals in their personal capacities, but such interactions should not automatically be considered institute-organised activities or represent the institute’s views.
The development comes days after a proposed screening of the same documentary at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru was postponed following opposition from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
The NLSIU screening had been planned for September 14 by the student-run Law and Society Committee to mark Political Prisoners’ Day and six years since Khalid’s arrest. The committee later said the programme was postponed due to logistical and security considerations and indicated that it could be held at a later date.
The documentary focuses on Umar Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University research scholar who was arrested in September 2020 in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots.
Khalid has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions in the case and has remained in custody since his arrest.
The proposed Hyderabad screening was also linked to Political Prisoners’ Day and referred to revolutionary Jatindra Nath Das, who died in 1929 after a prolonged hunger strike in Lahore jail.
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