Organisers allege Mumbai Police pressurised venues to cancel screening of Umar Khalid documentary

On Saturday, the organisers alleged, police personnel in civilian clothes went to the Bandra venue where the screening had originally been planned. They said the personnel questioned the person in charge and appeared to have information about the screening, including details that had been shared only in a private organising group with registered participants

MUMBAI: Two organisers have alleged that the Mumbai Police pressured a private venue in Andheri to cancel a screening of Prisoner No. 626710 is Present, a documentary on jailed student activist Umar Khalid, and that police personnel in civilian clothes later visited another venue in Bandra that they had earlier approached. The organisers also raised concerns over alleged police surveillance of their private communications.

Organisers allege Mumbai Police pressurised venues to cancel screening of Umar Khalid documentary

Shrishti Khanna and Prashant Pundir said they had organised the private screening in solidarity with Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and other “political prisoners”. Their first venue in Bandra became unavailable, following which they booked a paid venue in Andheri, with registered participants.

The organisers said they left the Andheri venue at around 6.30 pm on Friday after confirming arrangements with the manager. They alleged that around 7 pm, people in civilian clothes arrived at the venue, questioned and intimidated the manager and pressured him to cancel the screening. According to the organisers, the manager also received a call from a person claiming to be police personnel, after which a police vehicle arrived. The screening was subsequently cancelled.

On Saturday, the organisers alleged, police personnel in civilian clothes went to the Bandra venue where the screening had originally been planned. They said the personnel questioned the person in charge and appeared to have information about the screening, including details that had been shared only in a private organising group with registered participants.

The organisers further alleged that plainclothes personnel remained around the venue for hours even after the screening had been cancelled.

“Prashant and I are deeply concerned and worried about the shrinking political space for organising solidarity events in Mumbai after such intimidation and surveillance by the Mumbai Police. Especially the messages they had from our private organising group. That indicates infiltration/snitches. This was a private screening at paid studios, for which seeking permission is not needed. So this was a violation of our constitutional rights,” Khanna told Hindustan Times.

The documentary, directed by Lalit Vachani and centred on Khalid, has faced controversy elsewhere this week. A proposed screening at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru was postponed after opposition from the ABVP, with the student committee citing “logistical and security considerations”. At IIIT-Hyderabad, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) flagged the proposed screening, saying public exhibition of an uncertified film would violate the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption had been obtained. The institute subsequently cancelled the programme.

Khalid has been in custody since his arrest in September 2020 in the larger conspiracy case relating to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots. He is accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other provisions in the case. The trial against him is yet to commence. The Supreme Court rejected his bail plea in January 2026, along with that of Imam, and both remain in custody.

Imam has been in custody since January 2020 and is an accused in the larger conspiracy case. Separately, a Delhi court framed charges against him in 2022 over speeches made during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, including under the UAPA and then-existing sedition provisions. He was granted bail by the Delhi High Court in 2024 in that separate case.

The organisers said they had complained to the Mumbai Police Commissioner, the National Human Rights Commission and the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission. They had also written to the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Maharashtra and the Free Speech Collective.

Their representation to the Mumbai Police Commissioner was forwarded to Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Manoj Kumar Sharma for further action and inquiry.

Calls from HT to Sharma seeking his response to the allegations went unanswered.