Presidency University staff cuts power supply while screening of BBC documentary on PM Modi

After JNU, the infamous BBC documentary was shown at the Presidency University of Kolkata. However, after half an hour of screening, the power went off.

Kolkata (West Bengal):The touch of unrest over the screening of BBC documentary - ‘The Modi Question’ - touched Kolkata when the Presidency University authorities allegedly went for a power cut when the controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being screened in the Union room of the university. The students staged a demonstration infront of the vice chancellor's office after the power cut.

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) - the left wing students' union who presently control the students' union of the University decided to screen the documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gujarat riots of 2002 - 'India: The Modi Question' on Friday at 4 pm at the union room but there was power cut after half-an-hour of screening.

It can be recalled that the documentary was also screened at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Student Union office in New Delhi on Tuesday but JNU students complained that the university authorities stopped the electricity and internet services in the middle of the screening.

According to the students, after the first half hour of the screening at the Presidency University, the screen suddenly went black. The students alleged that other rooms were lit, it is only the room where the documentary was shown that did not have a power supply. However, power was restored soon.

“When we went to seek permission from the authorities to show this documentary, the authorities said that it cannot be shown as it is banned in our country. We were told that if we show the documentary, the responsibility will be on the students,” Rishiv Saha from the SFI unit said.

“First, we decided to show it on the football ground inside the campus. But due to some problems there, we decided to show it in the common room. We organised it completely on our own without any help from the authorities. The blocking of the screening shows that the University authorities do not approve of it,” Saha said.