The proposed screening of a documentary on jailed activist Umar Khalid at the International Institute of Information Technology-Hyderabad (IIIT-Hyderabad) has been cancelled after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) objected to the event.
The documentary, Prisoner No. 626710 is Present, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened at the KRB Auditorium on the IIIT-Hyderabad campus at 8 pm on September 18. The programme had been planned by an independent student collective.
The CBFC intervened on September 17, saying the public screening of a film that has not received certification would violate the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption had been obtained. The board also tagged IIIT-Hyderabad in its public communication and asked the institute’s authorities to take note of the matter and take necessary action.
Screening cancelled
The institute subsequently cancelled the venue booking and the proposed screening. IIIT-Hyderabad Director Sandeep Kumar Shukla informed students that no public or private screening of an uncertified film would be allowed in institute spaces, including classrooms, laboratories or offices.
The director also asked students to obtain written permission before organising or announcing similar events on campus in the future.
IIIT-Hyderabad has separately sought to distance itself from the programme. The institute said neither it nor any of its recognised student clubs, cells or organisations had organised or hosted a screening of an uncertified film.
The administration said students and faculty members are part of a large and diverse community and may interact with people in their individual capacities. Such interactions, it said, should not be treated as institute-organised activities or as representing the institution’s views.
The development has brought attention to the rules governing film screenings at educational institutions and the role of the CBFC in regulating public exhibition of films.
What the CBFC said
The CBFC’s objection was based on the documentary not having received certification. The board said an uncertified film cannot be publicly screened unless a specific exemption has been obtained under the Cinematograph Act.
The issue raised by the board was therefore centred on the film’s certification status rather than a formal declaration that the documentary itself had been banned.
The documentary was scheduled as a student-organised programme rather than an official institute event. The distinction has become an important part of the discussion surrounding the cancellation.
The CBFC operates under the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry and is responsible for certifying films for public exhibition in India.
Documentary focuses on Umar Khalid
Prisoner No. 626710 is Present examines the case of Umar Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student and activist who has remained in custody since his arrest in September 2020.
Khalid was arrested in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy case relating to the 2020 northeast Delhi violence. He faces charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other laws. The allegations against him remain matters before the courts.
The documentary focuses on his arrest, incarceration and the broader circumstances surrounding his case. Its proposed screening at IIIT-Hyderabad was linked to events marking six years since his arrest and Political Prisoners’ Day, observed on September 13.
Similar controversy at NLSIU
The IIIT-Hyderabad development comes days after a separate controversy involving the same documentary at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru.
A student-run committee at NLSIU had planned to screen the film on September 14. The programme was later postponed, with organisers citing logistical and security considerations.
The postponement followed opposition from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which had raised objections to the proposed screening and called for it to be cancelled. The student organisers said the postponement was a precautionary measure and indicated that they intended to hold the event later.
The two incidents have renewed discussion around documentary screenings, student activities and freedom of discussion on university campuses.
Debate over campus screenings
The cancellation at IIIT-Hyderabad has also prompted questions about how certification rules apply to screenings organised by students within educational institutions.
The CBFC has maintained that public exhibition of an uncertified film requires certification or a specific exemption. At the same time, questions have been raised by student and film bodies about the extent of the board’s role when films are shown in academic settings.
The Film and Television Institute of India Students’ Association, for instance, criticised the CBFC’s intervention and argued that the board was extending its role into university-based screenings and discussions. Its position represents the view of the student body and remains part of the wider debate over the issue.
The immediate outcome at IIIT-Hyderabad, however, is clear: the planned September 18 screening has been cancelled and the auditorium booking withdrawn.
The controversy has placed the documentary and the issue of film certification back in the spotlight, while also highlighting the competing questions of regulatory compliance, student activities and the space available for documentary screenings on university campuses.
