ABVP petitions NLSIU to halt documentary on activist Umar Khalid

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Bengaluru lodged a formal complaint with the National Law School of India University, seeking to cancel a scheduled screening of the documentary "Prisoner No. 626710 is Present" about activist Umar Khalid. In its statement, ABVP claimed the university had not responded to its request and condemned the event as political propaganda, linking Khalid to controversies from the 2016 JNU protests to recent civil unrest.

The group urged the institution to preserve its academic integrity by refusing the screening. Separately, advocate Girish Bharadwaj emailed the vice-chancellor and registrar, saying discussions on pre-trial detention and civil liberties should feature a balanced program with legal scholars and security perspectives. He emphasized that academic freedom carries institutional responsibility and asked the university to reconsider the event in the interest of its students.