The Censor Board’s regional office at Kavadiguda was attacked by six students of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OUJAC) on Tuesday afternoon. The OUJAC members broke window panes, one computer and other paraphernalia in the office.
The incident took place after the board had denied certification to the movie “Sharanam Gachchami”, which is about the reservation system in India. The movie also reportedly mentions the suicide of University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar and also the flogging of Dalits in Una, Gujarat, recently.
According to central zone Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Joel Davis, the incident took place between 12.30 p.m. and 1 p.m. “The six OUJAC members who attacked the office are members of the Scheduled Tribe community. They wanted the Censor Board to allow the movie’s release,” he added. The students were arrested soon after they attacked the office.
Two student leaders in the group which attacked the office were identified as A. Srinu and S. Modi, said an official from the Gandhinagar police station, where the OUJAC members were taken after their arrest. A case under section 447 (criminal trespass) of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act was registered against the OUJAC members.
The movie’s certification was reportedly rejected by the Censor Board last month. Sharanam Gachcham, which is directed by E. Prem Raj, tells the story of a university student who picks reservations as his Ph.D topic after his friend commits suicide over losing a government job to a lower-caste candidate.
EOM
