Jamia: Classes get suspended after students try to screen Modi’s BBC documentary

While all classes in the university, including university schools, shall remain suspended, all offices of the university, including Departments, Centres and Schools, will function as usual, said the university memo.

The memo came after the university had prevented certain students from hosting a screening of the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi – “India: The Modi Question”, according to Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar.

“Nothing happened inside our university, an attempt was made but it was completely foiled. Whatever happened, happened on the streets. It was a small incident blown out of proportion. Our precautionary measures were good,” Akthar said.

Also Read: Tension in Jamia campus over BBC documentary screening, 4 detained

A demonstration against the imprisonment of four Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists took place on campus on January 24 just hours before the contentious BBC documentary was scheduled to be screened.

“Strict disciplinary action shall be taken against” anyone trying to organise the screening of the BBC documentary, the authorities earlier said in a statement.

While there have been speculations about the relationship between the BBC documentary row and the suspension of classes, an official statement has claimed that there is no connection between the two.

Also Read: ‘Why give Brits the power…?’ Shashi Tharoor responds to BBC documentary row

“It is to clarify that class suspension has nothing to do with yesterday’s protest. The Vice Chancellor publically announced it today after the Republic Day function on the demand of teachers who were busy for the last three days organising Republic Day programmes in their respective Faculty/Departments/Centres,” says the official statement.

Earlier, the institution honoured India’s 74th Republic Day by having Akhtar hoist the flag on the front lawn of the Dr. M. A. Ansari Auditorium. In her speech, Akhtar went into detail about Jamia’s most recent accomplishments, including its placement among the top three universities in the NIRF rankings, the A grade it received from NAAC, and the highest ranking for the university’s exceptional performance in providing high-quality education, teaching, and research.

(With agency inputs)