Umar Khalid Documentary Screening Cancelled At IIIT-Hyderabad After CBFC Flags Uncertified Film

New Delhi: The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has flagged the proposed screening of a documentary on jailed activist Umar Khalid at the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-Hyderabad), stating that public exhibition of an uncertified film would violate the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption had been obtained.

The documentary “Prisoner No. 626710 is Present”, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened by a group of students at IIIT-Hyderabad’s KRB Auditorium at 8 pm on Friday. The students have now cancelled the screening after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) flagged the proposed public exhibition of the uncertified film.

The CBFC, in a post on X on Thursday, said that publicly screening a documentary that had not been certified by the board would violate the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption had been obtained. The board also tagged IIIT-Hyderabad and asked its authorities to take note of the matter.

IIIT-Hyderabad Distances Itself From Screening

Following the CBFC's intervention, IIIT-Hyderabad clarified that the proposed screening was not an institute-organised event.

The institute said neither IIIT-H nor any of its recognised student clubs, cells or organisations had organised or hosted a screening of an uncertified film. It added that any claim attributing an unauthorised or unrelated activity to the institute or its recognised student bodies would be factually incorrect.

IIIT-Hyderabad further said it has a large and diverse student community, and students and faculty members may interact with people in their individual capacities. Such interactions or visits, it said, should not be construed as institute-organised events or as representing the views or activities of IIIT-H.

Screening Was Planned For Political Prisoners' Day

The invitation for the proposed screening said the event was being organised on the occasion of Political Prisoners’ Day. It also referred to the death anniversary of revolutionary Jatindra Nath Das, a comrade of Bhagat Singh who died in Lahore jail in 1929 following a prolonged hunger strike.

The documentary focuses on Umar Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University research scholar who was arrested in September 2020 in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots. He has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions in the case and has remained in custody since his arrest.

Similar Screening At NLSIU Was Postponed

The development comes days after a proposed screening of the same documentary at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru was postponed.

The screening, organised by the student-run Law and Society Committee, had been scheduled for September 14 to mark Political Prisoners’ Day and six years of Khalid’s incarceration. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had opposed the programme and alleged that allowing the screening would amount to using the campus for political propaganda.

The student committee subsequently postponed the event, citing “logistical and security considerations”. It maintained that the decision was not due to pressure and said the screening would be held later in the trimester.

The proposed IIIT-Hyderabad screening has therefore become the latest controversy surrounding public screenings of “Prisoner No. 626710 is Present”, with the CBFC raising certification-related concerns while the institute has maintained that it was not responsible for organising the proposed event.

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