BBC Modi documentary screening at Jamia: SFI student activists still under preventive detention

Student activists from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) continue to be in "preventive detention" at the Fatehpur Beri police station in Delhi after they planned to organise a screening of the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on campus. The activists from the Students' Federation of India (SFI) - JMI unit were detained yesterday, January 25.

One of the detained student activists, Nivedya, was allegedly assaulted by the women guards inside the campus and by the Delhi Police women personnel as well, SFI President informed. "I spoke to her and she told me that she was assaulted, slut-shamed and called all sorts of names while being detained," she added.

The student activists are being kept under preventive detention until today, January 26 and Delhi Police cited Republic Day as the reason for the same, SFI President told EdexLive. "One of our comrades told us that police informed them that they would be released after the Republic Day parade today," she added. However, no charges have been pressed against the student activists, she said.

Moreover, students from other student-led organisations were also detained yesterday. In a tweet, Fraternity Movement said, "Student leaders including Fraternity Movement national Secretary @lubaibbasheer and Fraternity Movement Jamia Unit committee member Aflah Zaman were taken by Delhi police while protesting against the Denial of permission to Screen the #BBCDocumentary in #Jamia Campus."

Meanwhile, student organisations across the country continue with the call to organise screenings of the controversial BBC documentary India: The Modi Question. SFI Delhi in a tweet stated, "SFI JMI unit had called for the screening of the BBC Documentary 'The Modi Question?' in campus lawns. The organisers of the documentary were picked up by the police that led the students of Jamia to call for a protest where the students were brutally manhandled and detained.  SFI Delhi will continue with the National call to organise documentary screening in all campuses. Revolutionary greetings to all the comrades."