Student groups at Pondicherry University clash over screening of BBC's Modi documentary Pondicherry:Clashes broke out between the students' organizations at Pondicherry Central University after one of them screened the BBC documentary on Modi despite the administration's restrictions on Wednesday. About 10 students belonging to the right-wing group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) allegedly started threatening the 300 students who had gathered at a place in the campus to watch the controversial BBC documentary.
As informed by a university student, the authorities had given clear orders to not screen the documentary on the varsity campus after the Indian Students' Union announced the screening. The authorities also deployed police officials on the campus as a security precaution and to ensure that the orders are being followed. In protest, the students then declared that it will be screened inside hostel rooms instead.
More than 100 students watched the documentary 'India the Modi Question' on their phones and laptops on the university campus. The administration then cut off the electricity and the WiFi internet facility on the varsity campus after 3 pm on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) -- a left-wing student organization -- started screening the documentary at the Gender Gate on campus.
About 300 students gathered at the spot to watch the documentary, thereby directly defying the orders by the university. It was also live-streamed on their Facebook page. "The Indian Students Union announced that they would screen the documentary on Modi released by the BBC. But the university administration did not give permission for it. Also, after 3 pm, electricity and Wi-Fi internet facility was cut across the university. Following this, we watched a BBC documentary on our phones and laptops along with about 300 students near the gender gate in the university," one of the students gathered to watch the documentary told ETV Bharat.
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While the students were watching the documentary on Modi, about 10 members of the Akhila Bharatha Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) reached the spot and started raising slogans. They were allegedly shouting "Jai Shri Ram", "Modi Modi", and "Samiye Saranam Ayyappa" to protest against the documentary that shows Prime Minister Modi's part in the infamous 2002 Gujarat riots.
Some students alleged that the ABVP guys also threatened them in Hindi, which led to conflict between the two. The situation was pacified after the private security guards of the university meddled. While the electricity connection has been recovered on the campus, the internet facility still remains restricted, a student informed.
