ABVP seeks ban on Umar Khalid documentary screening at Bengaluru law varsity
RSS-affiliated group’s bid sparks fresh concerns over academic freedom in India
Bengaluru : In a latest move to restrict discussion involving a prominent Muslim activist, the RSS-affiliated student organization, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), has urged the BJP-led Indian government to intervene and block the proposed screening of a documentary on jailed activist Umar Khalid at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Khalid has been jailed in connection with the case relating to the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi anti-Muslim riots and faces charges under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which rights groups have described as politically motivated. Despite spending nearly six years in jail without conviction, he has remained behind bars, with critics saying that political pressure has influenced the handling of his bail pleas.
The ABVP has written to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, Education Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, seeking their intervention and a high-level inquiry into the NLSIU administration over the proposed event. The organisation alleged that a national-level educational institution should not be used as a platform for what it described as political propaganda involving Khalid. The Hindutva organization said that freedom of expression cannot override national security, sovereignty and the dignity of an educational institution.
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The documentary, Prisoner Number 626710 Is Present, was recently postponed by its organisers, who cited security and administrative concerns. NLSIU and the organisers have not, so far, publicly announced a fresh date for the screening.
In a statement, the ABVP said that the postponement was an attempt to defuse public opposition to the screening. It also demanded that the Indian government direct the NLSIU administration to permanently withdraw all permissions granted on campus for the filming, screening or promotion of the documentary and not allow the programme to be held in the future under any title.
Congress Hits Back at ABVP
Rejecting the ABVP’s opposition to the documentary screening, Karnataka Congress president BK Hariprasad called Khalid a “nationalist” and questioned the Hindutva student organization’s authority to comment on him.
“They believe in Nathuram Godse, who was an anti-national and the country’s first terrorist. They have no moral authority,” Hariprasad said in Bengaluru.
The controversy over the documentary has now widened into a broader debate over academic freedom, freedom of expression and the role of universities in providing space for screenings and discussions involving dissenting political voices. The ABVP’s demand for a permanent ban has also intensified concerns over the growing pressure on Indian educational institutions to restrict events involving views critical of the ruling political establishment.
