IIMC cancellation surprises Raza

The Government-run Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has sparked a controversy after it suddenly cancelled a pre-fixed lecture of Gauhar Raza, a scientist and maker of the first documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The IIMC claimed that cancellation was done due to “purely administrative reason”.
Raza described it as “very unprofessional” and “nonsense”, saying such an “attitude” was not expected from a premier institute of repute like the IIMC that comes under the Union ministry of information and broadcasting.

He declined to “either confirm or refute” reports that the institute cancelled his lecture at the last minute because he was the maker of the first documentary film on the 2002 Gujarat riots viewed both across the country and abroad and which created a “lot of controversy”.

The documentary was critical of the state administration’s role during the 2002 Gujarat massacre that led to the killing of thousands of Muslims.

Raza was scheduled to deliver a lecture as an expert in science communication to media persons and government officials on April 7 at the inaugural session of a workshop of organised by the IIMC.

“On April 6 at 6 o’clock, a representative of the institute called me up to say that a car will be sent to pick me up, though I insisted that I will come by my own car. Only two hours later, another person from the institute called me up to inform that my lecture had been cancelled. I asked for the reason but they remained evasive. I also did not press further,” Raza told Deccan Herald.

“I then asked the person if the workshop was also cancelled. He told me that only the inaugural session had been cancelled, not the workshop. I have no reason to link the cancellation of my lecture with me having made a documentary on the Gujarat riots as reported in a section of the media. I cannot either confirm or refute it. I do not want any controversy around such a reputed institute. I would only says it’s very unprofessional and nonsense,” he added.

Issuing a statement, the IIMC said the cancellation of the inaugural session of the workshop, which was to be addressed by Raza, and the valedictory session on April 7 and 8, was done in view of “official pre-occupations” of Director General Sunit Tandon.