Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar. File
| Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mumbai chief and MLA Ashish Shelar on January 28, 2023 sought police action against the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) students, who were allegedly planning to screen the controversial BBC documentary on 2002 Godhra riots, ‘India: The Modi Question’, on the campus.
“I urge the police to act or else we will have to step in,” he warned.
Mr. Shelar, who is also the treasurer of the BCCI, said that it was a bogus documentary. “Whoever is determined to show it in public is escalating tensions, which will lead to law and order situation,” he said.
The institute should immediately stop the students from screening the documentary, the MLA demanded.
On Friday, the administration of TISS issued a circular asking students to refrain from any such activity that ‘may disturb the academic environment and jeopardise the peace and harmony on the campus.’
The circular further read: “It has come to our notice that some groups of students are planning to screen the BBC documentary that has created disturbance in some parts of the country. Some plan to organise gatherings to protest against related developments in a few universities. This is to inform all the students that the Institute has not permitted any such screening and gatherings, which may disturb the academic environment and jeopardise the peace and harmony in our campuses.”
“Any action by students against the advisory will be dealt with strictly as per the rules. We advise all students to refrain from engaging in any such activities in contravention to this advisory,” the circular read.
However, the Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF) announced the screening on campus on Saturday. It condemned the administration’s decision.