Over 30 Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad workers allegedly stormed into an auditorium in Kirorimal College on Saturday and stalled the screening of a documentary film on Muzaffarnagar riots.
Nakul Singh Sawhney, director of the documentary ‘Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai’, said the disrupters also misbehaved with a senior professor and threatened to slap him.
No physical violence was reported even though police had to be summoned at the spot. Madhur Verma, DCP (North), said neither of the two parties has come forward to register a complaint.
“It has been decided that a screening committee would be formed in the college to decide whether the contents of the film were appropriate for the students,” said Mr. Verma.
Dhananjay Kapse, an assistant professor at the college who was among the organisers of the screening, said that though he was personally not in favour of filing a police complaint as it would give the ABVP men “undeserved publicity”, he would discuss it with his colleagues.
The incident took place around 2.45 p.m. while the film was being screened for around a 100 students. “Two-three students who were part of the audience walked out in about 10 minutes of the film and called the ABVP men. Around 30-40 of them stormed inside and forced stopped the screening saying it was hurting their sentiments,” said the director of the documentary.
The organisers of the film tried to persuade them saying they would be given ample time at the end of the film to voice their anguish.
“We then asked the audience how many wanted the screening to be stopped. No one raised hands. Everyone immediately raised their hands when we asked if they wanted the film to be continued,” he said.
Mr. Kapse said the disrupters did not appear like students. “They refused to show their identity cards when we asked them to,” said the assistant professor.
