The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) on Monday invited students for a screening of the BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question at its office at 9 p.m. on January 24, even as the university administration has asked it to cancel the event, “failing which strict disciplinary action may be initiated as per university rules”.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had on January 20, using emergency powers, issued orders to block YouTube videos of the first episode of the controversial documentary, and over 50 tweets with links to the videos, prompting several Opposition leaders to decry the “censorship”.
Sharing the details of the screening, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh tweeted, “Join us for the documentary screening which has been ‘banned’ by an ‘elected government’ of the largest ‘democracy’.”
The JNU administration issued an advisory clarifying that no permission has been sought from it for what it described as “an unauthorised activity [which] may disturb peace and harmony of the university campus”.