PUCL Condemns the RSS' disruption of the 9th Udaipur Film Festival
By PUCL National
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties denounces the disruption of the 9th Udaipur Film Festival. It is ironical that when the RSS rowdies disrupted the event, the film on Kabir, by Shabnam Virmani, called ‘Had Anhad (Bounded Boundless): Journeys with Ram & Kabir‘ was bring screened. The refusal by the college and Administrative authorities to intervene forced the organizers to change the venue of the festival, and organise it under a tent.
This is a blatant attack on the rights of citizens to assemble peacefully and express themselves without fear, which lie at the foundation of any democratic society.
The college and district administrative authorities inability to ensure, that an event it has earlier granted permission for is allowed to continue without disruption is also a matter of concern. The event was organized in the premises of the Rabindranath Tagore Medical College in Udaipur between 15-17 November 2024.
Instead of protecting the Constitutional freedom of people to assemble for a film festival, the state defended the disruptors and allowed them to have their way.
The disruption of the festival proved a major monetary loss – the college administration had charged the organizers the full amount for holding the festival in advance and abruptly curtailed the screenings.
It may be known that on the second day of the event, the 16th, November, several RSS activists descended on the venue and demanded that the event cease. The college authorities decided to stop the screening on account of the hooliganism of RSS activists.
It was an audience graced by several prominent film personalities, including actors, directors and technicians who had arrived from other parts of the country. A sizeable audience comprising the locals of Udaipur had also gathered at the venue.
What is surprising is that the RSS men had opposed the dedication of the festival to Dr GN Saibaba and the innocent children slaughtered in Palestine.
The RSS men shamelessly demanded that the dedication and the homage paid to the children killed in Palestine be revoked.
RSS men also spoke insultingly of the severely physically handicapped Dr Saibaba, former Delhi University professor who died in October this year, seven months after his case was dismissed of all charges of Maoist links, showing that it was a fabricated case, simply to falsely incarcerate him. He had spent 8 years in Nagpur jail prior to the dismissal of the case.
It is common courtesy not to utter disparaging statements about the dead. But perhaps it is too much to expect common courtesy from members of the RSS?
PUCL reiterates that Indian diplomacy has always upheld the rights of the people of Palestine. Despite the claims to patriotism of the RSS, these members appear opposed to India’s foreign policy.
The district collector attempted to wash his hands of the matter, claiming that the dispute was between the college authorities and the organizers of the film festival. He also tried to school the festival organisers by stating that there was no need to glorify a UAPA prisoner, meaning Dr. GN Saibaba, despite the repeated assertion by the organizers that Saibaba had been falsely incarcerated, the verdict was from the High Court, who had dismissed his case and the Supreme Court who upheld the judgement. Secondly, he also repeatedly stated that there was no need to pay homage to controversial issues. Perhaps meaning that do as the RSS (majoritarian) does.
The PUCL is clear that the district authorities must be charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and upholding the freedom of expression, even if it means taking stringent action against hooligans disrupting regular cultural gatherings. Their silence showed not only their tacit support to the RSS but also to act in accordance to the wishes of the RSS and not uphold the rule of law.
It needs to be stated here that this was the same Collector and police force, which in August this year, carried out on “public demand” punitive demolitions, bulldozing the house of a minor Muslim boy, accused in a stabbing crime against his classmate, where the latter died.
It is also the PUCLs belief that the Civil servants and Police’s so called helplessness or turning their face away from the hooliganism by members of the RSS, also comes from the Union government’s recent lifting of the ban on civil servants joining RSS. The decision being a clear push to incorporate their ideology in Governance.
The arts, film and literature are means of expression; gatherings for such events foster bonds of community and encourage a people to stay civilized and Freedom of expression lies at the root of the democratic enterprise.
The RSS seems intent on clamping down on free expression, voluntary gatherings, public education, literature and the arts. If acts of disruption of events that celebrate the human spirit are not nipped in the very bud, violence and barbarity will result.
The rule of law must prevail and the state government must clamp down on the disruption of such events.
PUCL calls on the state government to:
- Ensure compensation to organizers of the festival for losses sustained.
- Prevent disruption of such events, so that those planning events are not discouraged from choosing venues in Rajasthan.
- Stop encouraging the RSS hooliganism and complying by their wishes, violating people’s Constitutional and legal rights.
Bhanwar Meghwanshi (State president)
Anant Bhatnagar (State general secretary)
Arun Vyas (Head, Udaipur district)
Mohammad Yakub (Udaipur district general secretary)