Mumbai Police accused of pressuring venues to cancel screening supporting Umar Khalid, political prisoners
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Photo: Maktoob Media
Mumbai Police allegedly pressured two venues to cancel a private screening of the documentary Prisoner No. 626710 is Present, organised in solidarity with jailed activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and other political prisoners, according to the event’s organisers.
Organisers Prashant Pundir and Shrishti Khanna said they had arranged the screening as individuals concerned about human rights and civil liberties and had no affiliation with any organisation. The screening was scheduled for Saturday, according to Scroll.
The development came after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) stated last week that the documentary on Umar Khalid had not been certified. The board said screening the film would violate the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption was obtained under the law, Maktoob Media reported.
The organisers said their initial venue became unavailable amid concerns about potential legal and police pressure. They subsequently booked another venue and confirmed the event with its manager.
According to the organisers, on the evening of September 18, shortly after they left the venue, individuals dressed in civilian clothes arrived and questioned and intimidated the manager. They alleged that the manager later received a call from the superintendent of police, following which a police vehicle arrived at the venue.
The manager eventually cancelled the screening and later informed the organisers that he could not permit the event to proceed.
The organisers maintained that the screening was a private event held at a rented venue, with attendees registered in advance. They stressed that it was neither a public demonstration nor an unlawful gathering.
In a press note, they alleged that police intervention continued even after the cancellation had been publicly announced.
On September 19, the organisers said plainclothes personnel visited an earlier venue in Bandra that they had contacted while looking for a location. They clarified that the screening had never been scheduled at that venue.
The personnel allegedly questioned the person in charge and instructed the venue to cancel the screening. The organisers further claimed that the personnel appeared to have access to private messages exchanged within their organising group and with registered participants.
The organisers questioned how communications shared exclusively in a private group had reached the police, saying the incident raised serious concerns about surveillance and the handling of private communications.
They also alleged that plainclothes personnel remained near the venue for several hours, creating the impression that the police were monitoring the location to prevent both the screening and any gathering of participants.