Overview
- The Central Board of Film Certification posted on X that publicly showing the uncertified documentary would violate the Cinematograph Act unless a formal exemption was granted, prompting the regulatory objection.
- Hours after the CBFC objection on Thursday, IIIT‑Hyderabad’s director emailed students cancelling the KRB auditorium booking and banning any public or private screening of uncertified films on institute property.
- Student organisers who had publicised the screening said they decided to cancel the planned event that had been scheduled for Friday and had been organised by an independent collective.
- A separate planned screening at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru was postponed earlier this week after opposition from the ABVP and organisers cited logistical and security reasons.
- The film, directed by Lalit Vachani, focuses on Umar Khalid, who has been held since his 2020 arrest under UAPA, and the episode highlights wider tensions over campus dissent, institutional risk management, and the legal limits on showing politically sensitive material.