On university campuses across India, screenings of the banned BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, was added to the list after Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Ambedkar University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Presidency University, Jadavpur University, Madras University, Pondicherry, and the University of Hyderabad.
The FTII Students' Association issued a statement on Saturday saying that they screened the banned BBC documentary, "India: The Modi Question," on January 26.
The ministry of external affairs has banned the documentary, which depicts the 2002 Godhra riots, calling it a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. The Centre last week also directed social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube to block links to the documentary.
The association said the government should know that the sure-fire way for something to be watched is to ban it.
"Throughout history, banning of literature, music, and in recent times, media, has been a sign of a crumbling society. The act of scrutiny should be welcomed by our elected representatives. Instead, they quickly tag it as false propaganda and try to shove it under the rug," the statement read, adding the BBC documentary barely scratches the surface of the kind of "violence that has been perpetuated throughout the country for a dedicated, singular, vicious purpose." "It would be startling to us if anyone in India was surprised by the happenings in this documentary," said the students' association.
FTII registrar Sayyid Rabeehashmi said the matter will be looked into.