A proposed screening of the Umar Khalid Documentary Prisoner No. 626710 is Present at the International Institute of Information Technology-Hyderabad (IIIT-H) has been cancelled after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) raised an objection to the event.
The documentary, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened by a group of students at the KRB Auditorium on the IIIT-H campus on Friday evening. According to reports, the students subsequently decided to cancel the screening after the CBFC publicly flagged the certification issue.
CBFC raises objection over the proposed screening
The controversy began on September 17 when the CBFC posted on X about the proposed screening of the Umar Khalid Documentary.
The film certification body stated that publicly screening a documentary that had not been certified by the CBFC would constitute a violation of the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption had been obtained under the Act. The CBFC also tagged the IIIT-Hyderabad account in its post and asked the institute's authorities to take note of the matter.
The objection came just one day before the proposed screening, which was scheduled for September 18 at 8 pm. The documentary was reportedly being screened by a group of students rather than as an official institute programme.
The CBFC's intervention therefore placed the issue of film certification at the centre of the proposed event.
IIIT-Hyderabad distances itself from the event
Following the CBFC's post, IIIT-Hyderabad clarified that the institute itself was not responsible for organising the proposed screening.
In its statement, the institute said neither IIIT-H nor any of its recognised student clubs, cells or organisations had organised or hosted a screening of a film that was uncertified by the CBFC.
The institute also indicated that it follows established procedures for official activities conducted on campus. This clarification was significant because the proposed Umar Khalid Documentary screening had been planned by students, rather than being presented as an official IIIT-H event.
Reports citing sources subsequently said that the students decided to cancel the screening.
What is Prisoner No. 626710 is Present?
The documentary at the centre of the controversy is titled Prisoner No. 626710 is Present. It has been directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani and focuses on Umar Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University research scholar and student activist.
The film's title refers to the prisoner number associated with Khalid. The documentary examines his situation following his arrest and imprisonment.
Khalid was arrested in September 2020 in connection with the case concerning an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. He has been in custody since his arrest. Reports have noted that the trial in the case has not yet begun.
The Umar Khalid Documentary has consequently attracted attention beyond the film itself because of the legal and political circumstances surrounding its subject.
Screening was linked to Political Prisoners’ Day
The proposed event at IIIT-H was reportedly scheduled in connection with Political Prisoners’ Day.
According to reports, the invitation for the Umar Khalid Documentary screening also referred to Jatindranath Das, an associate of Bhagat Singh who died in 1929 after a prolonged hunger strike in Lahore Jail.
The planned programme was therefore presented in the context of discussions surrounding political prisoners and imprisonment. However, the screening did not ultimately take place after the certification objection and subsequent decision by the student organisers to cancel it.
Another proposed screening was postponed in Bengaluru
The IIIT-Hyderabad development comes shortly after another proposed screening of Prisoner No. 626710 is Present was postponed at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru.
The documentary had been scheduled to be screened there by a student committee. The programme was later postponed, with the student organisers citing logistical and security concerns. Reports also said the postponement followed objections from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
The NLSIU episode and the IIIT-H development involve the same Umar Khalid Documentary, although the circumstances surrounding the two proposed screenings were different.
Film certification becomes the central issue
The CBFC's objection to the Umar Khalid Documentary at IIIT-H focused specifically on certification requirements for public exhibition.
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According to the CBFC, a documentary that has not received certification cannot be publicly screened unless an applicable exemption has been obtained under the law. The board's public statement did not constitute a detailed assessment of the documentary's content; instead, it highlighted the certification requirement.
The issue has therefore brought attention to the regulatory framework governing public film screenings, including those proposed at educational institutions.
At the same time, IIIT-H's statement makes clear that the proposed event was not organised or hosted by the institute or its recognised student organisations.
Students cancel the proposed event
The proposed Umar Khalid Documentary screening was scheduled for Friday evening at the KRB Auditorium. However, reports citing sources said that the student organisers decided to cancel the event following the CBFC's intervention.
This means the documentary was not screened at IIIT-H as originally planned.
The cancellation also means that the immediate dispute centres on a proposed event rather than an actual public screening at the institute. The CBFC had raised its objection before the scheduled screening took place.
Documentary draws attention amid campus debates
The latest development has placed Prisoner No. 626710 is Present in the spotlight once again. The film had already attracted attention following the proposed screening at NLSIU in Bengaluru, which was postponed earlier this month.
The IIIT-H episode has added another dimension, with the CBFC raising the question of certification while the institute clarified that it was not the organiser of the proposed event.
For students and filmmakers, documentary screenings can provide a platform for discussion around social and political subjects. At the same time, public film exhibition remains subject to applicable certification and legal requirements.
In the case of the Umar Khalid Documentary, the proposed IIIT-H screening has now been cancelled, while the institute has maintained that the event was not an official activity organised by it.
What happens next?
For now, Prisoner No. 626710 is Present will not be screened at IIIT-Hyderabad as originally planned. The documentary's director is Lalit Vachani, while the film focuses on Umar Khalid and his imprisonment following his 2020 arrest.
The incident has also highlighted the distinction between student-organised activities and officially hosted institutional programmes. IIIT-H has specifically distanced itself and its recognised student bodies from the proposed screening.
Meanwhile, the Umar Khalid Documentary continues to attract public attention because of its subject and the questions surrounding its proposed screenings at educational institutions.
The latest development is therefore not a decision on the documentary's content itself, but a dispute centred on the requirements for publicly exhibiting an uncertified film. The CBFC has cited the Cinematograph Act, while IIIT-H has clarified its position regarding the proposed student event.
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