CBFC asks for action against proposed screening of Umar Khalid documentary at IIIT Hyderabad

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Umar Khalid was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, and charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were invoked against him. File. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Thursday (September 17, 2026) asked IIIT Hyderabad authorities to take action against the proposed screening of Prisoner No. 626710 is Present on its campus. It is a documentary on activist Umar Khalid, who has been in judicial custody over the past six years in the “larger conspiracy” case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

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“Public screening of a documentary film that has not yet been certified by the CBFC is a violation of the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption has been sought under the Act. Authorities of @IIIT_Hyderabad may take note for necessary action,” the CBFC said in a post on X, tagging a screenshot showing that the documentary was to be screened at KRB Auditorium inside the institution’s campus at 8 p.m. on Friday (September 18, 2026).

The CBFC is a statutory film certification body under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Earlier, the Law and Society Committee (LawSoc), a students’ organisation at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), postponed the screening of the documentary, which was scheduled for September 14. The decision came amid objections raised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and other associated activists.

The ABVP’s Bengaluru unit also wrote to Union Ministers seeking permanent cancellation of the screening and a high-level enquiry against the university administration.

Mr. Khalid was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, and charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were invoked against him. While a trial in the case is yet to commence, he has remained in judicial custody since then.

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