New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University administration snapped electricity in the students' union office on Tuesday to prevent the screening of a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi this evening. The event was about to begin at 9 pm.
The administration had explicitly banned the screening and threatened organisers with disciplinary action. Students had decided to go through with it despite disapproval. They also insisted that the screening will not violate any rules of the university and will not spoil communal harmony.
Ayeshi Ghosh, the president of the Students Federation of India, the students' wing of the CPM, said students will watch the documentary using a QR code. Students had gathered in the cafeteria and downloaded it on their phones.
The University of Hyderabad also screened the documentary and the management said the event did not have permission. Authorities have sought a report. The university Registrar Devesh Nigam said a students' group called Fraternity Movement held the screening at a shopping complex in the North Campus without taking permission.
"On receiving information, the security team and the Dean, Students' Welfare, rushed to the venue and requested the organisers to stop the screening of the documentary. However, the organisers did not accede to this request and continued the screening of the documentary in presence of few students," said the official.
He added that the campus is "quiet and peaceful" and nothing untoward happened after the screening. But the students violated the rules by not taking permission.