Prisoner No.626710 is Present Film Screening + Discussion
On September 13, 2020, Umar Khalid, a charismatic student leader who recently finished his PhD at India’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, was arrested under the draconian UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) – a law that designates individuals as terrorists and allows the Indian state to imprison people without due process.
His crime? As an Indian Muslim, he had dared to protest against the new citizenship law that the Indian state was trying to impose on its people.
Using found footage of his past speeches along with a forensic analysis of how he was framed by the right-wing, Hindu nationalist media, Umar Khalid’s close friends Banojyotsna Lahiri and Shuddhabrata Sengupta reconstruct the chronology of events that led to his tragic imprisonment.
It has been over 1,500 days since Umar Khalid was arrested. There have been 15 bail hearing adjournments. His case has not yet come up for trial. He and his friends still await a fair hearing in court.
Screening will be followed by a discussion with Lalit Vachani, Guneet Kaur and Aiman Khan on the legal and political difficulties and persecutions faced by activists in India. One of the key participants of the film, Banojyotsna Lahiri will also join us for the discussion online.
Doors 18:00
Start 19:00
Donaustr. 84