JNU cuts power, internet before BBC Modi documentary screening; students watch on phones.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, India, faced a unique situation on Tuesday when the university cut off power and internet supply on campus. This was done in an effort to prevent the students’ union from screening a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” was labelled by the Indian government as a “propaganda piece” and was blocked from airing and sharing via social media in India.
The documentary questions Modi’s leadership during deadly riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 2,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. The JNU administration had warned that disciplinary action would be taken if the documentary was screened, saying it might disturb peace and harmony on campus.
Despite the power and internet outages, the documentary was still being watched on mobile phones through links shared over Telegram and Vimeo. About 300 people were streaming the documentary on their phones. Footage from inside the campus showed some students huddled together and watching the film on a laptop propped up on a chair. Police vigilance was ramped up following a request from campus.
The documentary was also screened at some campuses in the Communist-ruled southern state of Kerala, The Hindu newspaper reported. India’s home ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the government’s plans if the film is shown at JNU and in Kerala.
The 2002 Gujarat violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59. Crowds later rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods. In 2017, 11 men were jailed for life for setting the train ablaze. Modi has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi faced a unique situation when the university cut off power and internet supply on campus in an effort to prevent the students’ union from screening a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” was labelled by the Indian government as a “propaganda piece” and was blocked from airing and sharing via social media in India.
Despite the power and internet outages, the documentary was still being watched on mobile phones through links shared over Telegram and Vimeo. About 300 people were streaming the documentary on their phones. Footage from inside the campus showed some students huddled together and watching the film on a laptop propped up on a chair. Police vigilance was ramped up following a request from campus.
The documentary questions Modi’s leadership during deadly riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 2,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. The 2002 Gujarat violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59. Crowds later rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods. In 2017, 11 men were jailed for life for setting the train ablaze.
Modi has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court. The JNU administration had warned that disciplinary action would be taken if the documentary was screened, saying it might disturb peace and harmony on campus.
The documentary was also screened at some campuses in the Communist-ruled southern state of Kerala, The Hindu newspaper reported. India’s home ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the government’s plans if the film is shown at JNU and in Kerala.
On Tuesday, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi faced a unique situation when the university cut off power and internet supply on campus in an effort to prevent the students’ union from screening a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” was labelled by the Indian government as a “propaganda piece” and was blocked from airing and sharing via social media in India.
The documentary questions Modi’s leadership during deadly riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 2,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. Despite the power and internet outages, the documentary was still being watched on mobile phones through links shared over Telegram and Vimeo. About 300 people were streaming the documentary on their phones. Footage from inside the campus showed some students huddled together and watching the film on a laptop propped up on a chair.
The 2002 Gujarat violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59. Crowds later rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods. In 2017, 11 men were jailed for life for setting the train ablaze. Modi has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court.
The JNU administration had warned that disciplinary action would be taken if the documentary was screened, saying it might disturb peace and harmony on campus. The documentary was also screened at some campuses in the Communist-ruled southern state of Kerala, The Hindu newspaper reported. India’s home ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the government’s plans if the film is shown at JNU and in Kerala.
On Tuesday, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi faced a unique situation when the university cut off power and internet supply on campus in an effort to prevent the students’ union from screening a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Despite the power and internet outages, the documentary was still being watched on mobile phones through links shared over Telegram and Vimeo.
The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” was labelled by the Indian government as a “propaganda piece” and was blocked from airing and sharing via social media in India. It questions Modi’s leadership during deadly riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 2,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. The JNU administration had warned that disciplinary action would be taken if the documentary was screened, saying it might disturb peace and harmony on campus.
The 2002 Gujarat violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59. Crowds later rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods. In 2017, 11 men were jailed for life for setting the train ablaze. Modi has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court.
The documentary was also screened at some campuses in the Communist-ruled southern state of Kerala, The Hindu newspaper reported. India’s home ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the government’s plans if the film is shown at JNU and in Kerala. On Tuesday, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi faced a unique situation when the university cut off power and internet supply on campus in an effort to prevent the students’ union from screening a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” questions Modi’s leadership during deadly riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 2,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. The Indian government labelled the documentary as a “propaganda piece” and blocked its airing and sharing via social media in India. Despite the power and internet outages, the documentary was still being watched on mobile phones through links shared over Telegram and Vimeo.
The JNU administration had warned that disciplinary action would be taken if the documentary was screened, saying it might disturb peace and harmony on campus. Police vigilance was ramped up following a request from campus. The 2002 Gujarat violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59. Crowds later rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods. In 2017, 11 men were jailed for life for setting the train ablaze. Modi has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court.
The documentary was also screened at some campuses in the Communist-ruled southern state of Kerala, The Hindu newspaper reported. India’s home ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the government’s plans if the film is shown at JNU and in Kerala.
On Tuesday, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi faced a unique situation when the university cut off power and internet supply on campus in an effort to prevent the students’ union from screening a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” questioned Modi’s leadership during deadly riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 2,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims.
The Indian government labelled the documentary as a “propaganda piece” and blocked its airing and sharing via social media in India. Despite the power and internet outages, the documentary was still being watched on mobile phones through links shared over Telegram and Vimeo. The JNU administration had warned that disciplinary action would be taken if the documentary was screened, saying it might disturb peace and harmony on campus.
The 2002 Gujarat violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59. Crowds later rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods. In 2017, 11 men were jailed for life for setting the train ablaze. Modi has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court.
The documentary was also screened at some campuses in the Communist-ruled southern state of Kerala, The Hindu newspaper reported. India’s home ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the government’s plans if the film is shown at JNU and in Kerala. On Tuesday, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi faced a unique situation when the university cut off power and internet supply
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