BBC documentary: 13 detained activists not released yet, no response from Delhi police, claims SFI

Thirteen students who were detained for organising the screening of the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Modi at the Jamia Millia Islamia on Wednesday have not been released by police yet, the Students Federation of India claimed.

Delhi Police did not provide a response to the claim made by the student body on Thursday.

The government had recently directed social media platforms to block links to the documentary titled "India: The Modi Question". The external affairs ministry has trashed the documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset.

Memeber of Parliament AA Rahim in his tweet backed the detained students and their right to gather peacefully in protest. He said, "The students from Jamia should be released immediately. The authorities including university admin and police are responsible for upholding security. Right to assemble must not be curtailed. Attack on students in JNU should be investigated and perpetrators brought to justice."

"The detention of SFI activists from Jamia including the manhandling of women students is extremely condemnable. India is still a democracy with the right to assemble in peace and freedom of expression. Their fear over BBC documentary shows how cowardly Modi's govt really is," he also added.

Scores of students were detained on Wednesday as they gathered outside the university gate to protest against the detention of four Students Federation of India (SFI) members hours before the proposed screening of the documentary.

While police released a majority of the detained students on Wednesday evening, 13 are still in detention, the SFI claimed.

The screening of "India: The Modi Question" was announced by the SFI on Wednesday. The student's outfit had said the documentary would be screened at the MCRC lawn gate number 8 at 6 pm on Wednesday.

Of the 13, four -- SFI Jamia Unit secretary Azeez, SFI South Delhi Area vice president Nivedya, and SFI units members Abhiram and Tejas -- were detained on Wednesday morning, it alleged, adding that they are all students of the Jamia Millia Islamia.


"Four students were detained on Wednesday morning. Its been over 24 hours since they have been detained. The rest were detained later in the evening," SFI Delhi committee secretary Pritish Menon.

The university on Wednesday became the centre of a kerfuffle after SFI's plans to organise the screening of the controversial BBC documentary were thwarted by the varsity and the city police.