A screening of a documentary about jailed activist Umar Khalid at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru has been postponed. The Law & Society Committee had planned to show filmmaker Lalit Vachani’s documentary on September 14, marking Political Prisoners’ Day and the sixth anniversary of Khalid’s arrest.
Organisers stated the event would be rescheduled within the current academic term due to logistical and security considerations, denying they acted under outside pressure. However, the postponement followed a campaign and formal complaint by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad demanding cancellation, with the student group subsequently claiming credit and pushing for a permanent halt. Some university sources also linked the rescheduling to security strains from Ganesh Chaturthi, which fell on the same day.
The incident follows a similar controversy last month at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where a venue booking for a discussion of Khalid’s book was revoked following ABVP objections. Observers note a recurring pattern of campus events related to Khalid facing disruptions or cancellations due to pressure from the organisation, reigniting debates over academic freedom.