JOIN USWhy so desperate to block BBC documentary?
After blocking the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has been trying to prevent its viewing and screening. Two episodes have been aired by the BBC, but the first one attracted more attention because it dealt with the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, over which Modi has faced charges of inaction or complicity.
Ever since the government issued orders for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary, interest in it has increased. As usual, students are in the forefront of those who want to watch it. Political parties, including the Congress and the CPM, have also arranged public screenings in many places. In some universities, students’ unions and groups have tried to screen it, but the university authorities and the government have tried to scuttle the screenings by various means.
The authorities tried to prevent a screening in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) by cutting off power but the students watched it on their mobile phones. Some students were detained in Delhi’s Jamia Milia University. There were arrests and suspension of students in Rajasthan Central University and the University of Hyderabad. It is clear that the government cannot stop the documentary from being viewed as it has spread across the country through various means. It is now available to view on Telegram, Drive, and Mdisk with the name ‘Pathaan Full HD.’
It was wrong to ban the documentary in the first place because the government did not have a good and convincing reason to do so. It was unwise and even foolish to think that the blocking order could be implemented in this day and age when there are many ways to beat it.
Attempts to prevent or scuttle screenings will only make people more determined to watch it. The move to screen and watch it is likely to spread to other universities, just as protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) spread across universities in late 2019 and early 2020. Students, by nature and tradition, are inclined to defy restrictions and challenge rules. The legality of the blocking has also been questioned. The government ultimately has gained nothing from the episode, but has earned disapproval as one that brooks no criticism. If the government does not try to prevent the screening, the students may not show much interest in watching it either. Unfortunately, the authorities don’t realise that criticism of Narendra Modi is not criticism of the country.