A prestigious university in India has threatened severe disciplinary punishment if the students' union proceeds with plans to show a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the activity would upset peace and unity on campus. The documentary that criticised Modi's handling of deadly riots in his native Gujarat in 2002 was labelled "propaganda", blocked its airing and also barred sharing of any clips via social media in India.
Modi was chief minister of the western state during the violence that resulted in more than 2,000 deaths, the majority of them Muslims,
The students' union of New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, long seen as a bastion of left-wing politics, said on Twitter it would screen the documentary, "India: The Modi Question", at a cafeteria at 9 p.m. (1530 GMT). On its website, the university administration said it had not given permission for the showing.
" This is to emphasise that such an unauthorised activity can undermine the campus' peace and harmony," it added.
" The concerned individuals/students are strongly encouraged to immediately cancel the proposed programme; else, strict disciplinary action may be taken in accordance with university rules."
On Twitter, the union president, Aishe Ghosh, had asked students to attend the screening of the documentary, describing it as having been "'banned' by an 'elected government' of the largest 'democracy'. "
The Biden administration strongly promoted common values and close relations between the United States and India while dismissing questions about a contentious BBC documentary on then-chief minister Narendra Modi's alleged responsibility for the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Despite Washington's desire for regional stability, administration officials responded to Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's request for talks with India with the well-worn refrain that "the pace, the scope, and the character of any dialogue between India and Pakistan is a matter for those two countries."
The state department spokesman Ned Price said he was "not aware" of the documentary, and segued into a lavish assessment of US-India ties.
"I will generalise by saying that a number of factors support the international strategic alliance we have with our Indian allies. The United States and India have extraordinarily strong people-to-people ties in addition to close political and economic ties," he said.