Bengaluru based Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has formally asked the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) to call off a campus screening of filmmaker Lalit Vachani's documentary on activist Umar Khalid, slated for September 14 at the law school auditorium.
The film, titled “Prisoner No. 626710 is Present,” was to be organised by the university's Law and Society Committee (Law Soc) as part of a series of solidarity events held across India. The screening coincides with the anniversary of Khalid's arrest in 2020 and follows Political Prisoners' Day observed on September 13.
Umar Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader, has been detained without trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since September 2020. Charges relate to his alleged role in the 2020 Delhi riots, yet the trial has not commenced.
ABVP Bengaluru secretary Abhinandan Mirji issued a press statement condemning the proposed event, calling it political propaganda that undermines national integrity. The student wing also emailed NLSIU administration demanding cancellation, but, according to Mirji, has not received any reply.
The demand mirrors a recent decision by the JNU administration to withdraw permission for a discussion on Khalid's book, “Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power,” in August. In response, Khalid's father Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas told IANS that his son remains unconvicted and criticised ABVP's stance as authoritarian, urging that no restrictions be placed until a court delivers a verdict.
As the legal community watches the controversy unfold, NLSIU has yet to announce a final position on the September 14 screening, leaving students and activists awaiting clarification.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Mangalorean News