NB: The travesty of Indian justice continues unabated, with the mainstream media shamelessly reporting the issue as of Khalid were guilty, even though he has not been tried in court nor been convicted. To keep a trial suspended for six years, and refuse bail – this is horrible but to be expected now under the circumstances prevailing. And the front organisations of the RSS as usual, agitate and intimidate anyone who dares even to speak about this matter.
Perhaps the courts and the Great Leader of the Sangh – who tours the world speaking sweet nothings about his great unregistered organisation – will tell us why a self-confessed boastful hooligan can get swift bail in a matter of days; while a scholar remains behind bars for six years without bail and without trial. The flags of communal prejudice fly highest when they can be observed in the administration of justice. Shame on those who take delight in injustice. DS
Watch “Bharadwaj स्वतंत्र है Umar 6 साल से क़ैद है… क्या धर्म देखकर मिलता है इंसाफ़ !” on YouTube
A proposed screening of ‘Prisoner No. 626710 is Present’, a documentary on jailed activist Umar Khalid, has reportedly been cancelled at IIIT-Hyderabad. Khalid has been in custody for six years, with the trial yet to begin. The documentary, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened by a group of students at the KRB Auditorium on the IIIT-Hyderabad campus at 8 pm on Friday. News agency PTI, citing sources, reported that the students had decided to cancel the screening.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Thursday flagged the proposed screening, saying in a post on X that “public screening of a documentary film that has not yet been certified by the CBFC is a violation of the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption has been sought under the Act”.
Tagging IIIT-Hyderabad, it said the institute’s authorities “may take note for necessary action”. The CBFC functions under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. An email query sent to IIIT-Hyderabad did not elicit a response, PTI said.
The development comes days after a proposed screening of the same documentary at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru was postponed following opposition from the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The NLSIU screening, organised by its student-run Law and Society Committee, was scheduled for September 14 to mark Political Prisoners’ Day and six years of Khalid’s incarceration.
The ABVP had demanded that the screening be cancelled, alleging that allowing it would amount to using the campus for political propaganda. The student organisation also urged the Centre to ask NLSIU to permanently revoke permission for the documentary to be filmed, screened or promoted on its campus.
The NLSIU student committee subsequently postponed the programme, citing “logistical and security considerations”, while maintaining that it was not backing out because of pressure and that the screening would be held later in the trimester. “Prisoner No. 626710 is Present” centres on Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University research scholar who was arrested in September 2020 in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots.
The invitation for the proposed IIIT-Hyderabad screening said it was planned to mark “Political Prisoners’ Day”. It also referred to the anniversary of the death of revolutionary Jatindra Nath Das, a comrade of Bhagat Singh who died after a prolonged hunger strike in Lahore jail in 1929. Khalid has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions in the case. He has denied the allegations against him.
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