Bengaluru: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) protested against the proposed screening of a documentary on activist Umar Khalid at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru, objecting to the event and demanding its cancellation.

The documentary, Prisoner No. 626710 is Present, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened by NLSIU’s Law and Society Committee on September 14. The event has sparked a campus controversy, with ABVP describing the screening as political propaganda, while the student committee said the programme would focus on issues including pre-trial detention, bail and dissent.

ABVP opposes proposed screening

The ABVP Bengaluru unit staged its protest on Sunday, September 13, ahead of the proposed screening.

The student organisation said it had written to the NLSIU administration seeking cancellation of the event but had not received a response. ABVP alleged that allowing the screening would amount to providing campus space for political propaganda connected with Khalid.

ABVP also referred to controversies surrounding Khalid, including the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University protests, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the 2020 Delhi riots. The organisation said educational institutions should remain focused on education and institutional integrity rather than becoming platforms for political messaging.

NLSIU student committee organised event

The proposed screening was organised by the university’s Law and Society Committee, an NLSIU student committee.

An NLSIU spokesperson told The Times of India that the screening had been organised by the student committee. An email circulated to students said the event was intended to mark six years of Khalid’s imprisonment and more than six years of Sharjeel Imam’s detention.

The programme was also expected to include a discussion on pre-trial detention, bail and dissent.

The event was linked to Political Prisoners’ Day, observed on September 13, and the anniversary of Khalid’s arrest in 2020. Students said the documentary had previously been screened at NLSIU as well.

Documentary focuses on Umar Khalid

Prisoner No. 626710 is Present is a documentary by Lalit Vachani centred on Umar Khalid, the former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader who has been in custody since his arrest in September 2020.

Khalid is an accused in the larger case relating to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots and is facing proceedings under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions. The prosecution has alleged his involvement in a wider conspiracy, allegations he has denied. The case remains under judicial consideration.

The documentary screening, therefore, has become part of a wider debate over political expression, academic freedom and the discussion of controversial figures on university campuses.

Screening status remained uncertain

As of Sunday evening, NLSIU had not announced a final decision on whether the screening would go ahead as originally scheduled, according to the Times of India report.

The event was listed for the morning of September 14, with the documentary scheduled from 7 am to 8.30 am.

However, subsequent reports said the university later deferred the screening. Sources cited by Bar & Bench said the postponement was unrelated to the ABVP campaign and was instead linked to security arrangements for Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14. ABVP, however, viewed the postponement as a result of its opposition and said it would continue seeking cancellation.

Debate over academic freedom

The controversy has brought renewed attention to the question of how universities should handle screenings and discussions involving politically contentious subjects.

ABVP has maintained that academic campuses should not be used to promote political propaganda. The student organisers, meanwhile, have positioned the programme as a discussion around imprisonment, bail, dissent and democratic freedoms.

The disagreement reflects a broader debate in Indian higher education over the balance between academic discussion and concerns about political mobilisation on university campuses.

For NLSIU, the issue comes at a time when the university has already faced public attention over other institutional matters. The latest controversy has now drawn student groups and wider public debate around the proposed documentary screening.

Controversy continues

The proposed screening of Prisoner No. 626710 is Present has thus become a point of contention between ABVP and the student organisers at NLSIU.

While ABVP is demanding that the event be cancelled, the student committee’s stated focus is on issues surrounding political imprisonment, pre-trial detention, bail and dissent. With the screening reportedly deferred, its future date and format remain subject to the university’s decision.