Mumbai: Despite warnings, TISS students watch BBC film – Indiatimes.com

MUMBAI: Over 200 students from the premier Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) saw the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi amid tight police security on Saturday despite warnings from the institute.

While there was no ‘public screening’ of the banned documentary, students gathered inside the campus and managed to see it on their personal laptops and cellphones at the decided time and venue.
The TISS administration announced there was no public screening.
Around 100 policemen were deployed on the campus for fear of violence. BJP Yuva Morcha activists staged a protest outside the main gate early in the evening but left after assurances from the Mumbai police.
Docu screened on 10 laptops and ‘even on mobile phones’
The call to screen the banned BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi on the TISS campus was taken by a students’ collective, Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF), early this week. Representatives of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) also supported the call, and the official students’ body, TISS Students’ Union, even shared the QR code of the documentary during an impromptu protest gathering called on Friday afternoon. Despite the institute issuing two advisories — one on Friday and the second on Saturday morning — the students went ahead with their plan at around 7 pm.
The advisory issued on Saturday morning mentioned that ‘it is with utmost seriousness we note that some students groups are engaged in activities contravening the advisory issued on January 27 regarding the screening of a BBC documentary… Any such acts… leading to disturbance of peace and harmony… will be dealt with relevant institutional rules on the matter.’
Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, a member of PSF and a central committee member of SFI, said that initially, they started screening the documentary on one laptop and then added nine more laptops after the number of students started increasing. “It was a screening, but not on the usual projector and the big screen. Some of them even watched the movie on their cellphones,” he said, adding that they had a meeting with the administration in the evening, and the authorities refused to provide screening facilities.
In an official statement released by PSF, the group congratulated the “brave” students of the institute for making the screening a success. “Collectively the students of TISS upheld our institution’s culture of debate, discussion and, most importantly, dissent. Despite the maligning campaign against TISS and administration refusing any form of co-operation, over 200+ students showed up in solidarity,” said the statement.
An TISS official said, “No screening has taken place in the campus. Some students may have watched on their personal devices which can hardly be monitored,” adding that no facilities were provided for the screening.
However, after the screening, another students’ collective on the campus, Democratic Secular Students’ Forum, condemned the act. Sairam M, from the forum, said, “Despite warning from the institute’s authorities and in presence of Mumbai police, the controversial BBC documentary was screened on the campus on laptops and phones. We condemned this screening.” Sairam asked the TISS administration to take stringent action against PSF and other student bodies who extended their support.
Most policemen were dispersed after the screening got over at around 9 pm, but a police vehicle will be stationed outside the campus to avoid any law and order situation, said an officer. A senior officer said there was no violence and everything was peaceful. “If there is any application, we will inquire into it,” he said.
Early in the evening, activists from the BJP Yuva Morcha staged a protest outside the campus and claimed the film was being screened with malafide intentions. The protestors left after assurances from police. Earlier in the day, BJP city president Ashish Shelar had tweeted, “By screening this bogus BBC documentary, the law and order situation in Mumbai and Maharashtra will be affected. The police should stop the screening or else we will take a stand. TISS should stop such activities.”
(With inputs from Mateen Hafeez)