BBC docu: Permission for protest granted, screening disallowed

CHENNAI: As many as 150 members of public and civic society gathered at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai on Sunday evening after Chennai Police granted permission for their protest against union government, condemning the 'shadow ban' against the BBC documentary: India the Modi question.

Mohammed Ghouse of Social Activists Forum, which organized the protest said that they also screened the documentary for a few minutes despite police opposing the screening.

While Police permission was granted for for the gathering, the organizers wanted to screen the documentary, to which police permission was denied. "It was orally communicated to us that the documentary can be played in laptops if needed, but permission to screen was not allowed, " Ghouse told DT Next.

According to the protestors, the full documentary could not be screened as the permitted time for protest ended. On Thursday, Chennai city police detained, A Priyadharshini, the youngest councillor of the Chennai corporation along with others, during a protest against the Union government's decision to block links on the BBC documentary on Gujarat Riots.

Priyadharshini is the CPM councillor of ward 98 in Teynampet constituency. The protest was held near Ambedkar statue in TP Chatram and was organised by DYFI. Police said that the protestors were detained for gathering without permission.