DU sets up 7-member panel to probe ruckus over BBC documentary screening

Police personnel detain members of Bhim Army Student Federation for planning to screen the BBC documentary at Delhi University on Friday. | Photo Credit: PTI

A day after 24 students were briefly detained for gathering outside Delhi University’s Arts Faculty for a mass screening of the controversial BBC documentary India: The Modi Question, the university administration has formed a seven-member fact-finding committee to probe into the ruckus on Friday.

The attempted screening at DU was one among several successful and foiled bids across campuses nationwide over the past week, including at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Ambedkar University in the Capital.

The committee, to be headed by DU Proctor Rajni Abbi, has been asked to submit its report to Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Yogesh Singh by 5 p.m. on Monday.

The other members of the committee constituted by the V-C to enforce discipline and maintain law and order on campus are Joint Proctor Manoj Kumar Singh, Ajay Kumar Singh of the Department of Commerce, Sanjoy Roy of the Department of Social Work, Hansraj College principal Rama Sharma, Kirori Mal College principal Dinesh Khattar, and chief security officer Gaje Singh.

“The committee will specifically look into the incident of January 27 that took place outside the Faculty of Arts and opposite gate no. 4, University of Delhi,” Ms. Abbi said.

The Proctor told The Hindu that the chaos resulting from the incident created law and order problems on campus, forcing the police and the university administration to intervene and disperse the crowd.

“When no permission was either sought or granted, the students went ahead with their protest. We will investigate who these students were and, if at all they belong to DU, action will be taken,” she said.

Calls for the documentary screening on Friday were made both by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Bhim Army Students’ Federation. While the university authorities claimed “outsiders” were behind the attempt, students affiliated to NSUI said they did ask for permission from the DU administration but were denied.

While police deployment was scaled down in North Campus on Saturday and only regular patrolling duties carried out, Section 144 of the CrPC remained in force.