Two students have been ¡°debarred¡± by a?top Indian institution after screening a?controversial BBC documentary critiquing the country¡¯s prime minister ¨C a?move that some academics fear could have a?¡°chilling effect¡± on?free speech on?the nation¡¯s campuses.

When it was released in January, the series ¨C which investigates Narendra Modi¡¯s role in?riots in?Gujarat that left more than 1,000 people dead in?2002 ¨C was condemned by?the country¡¯s government, with several universities issuing warnings to?students against screening?it.

Now, students at the University of Delhi (DU) who defied administrators¡¯ order not to show the documentary are facing disciplinary repercussions. The students, one of whom is the national secretary of the National Students¡¯ Union of India (NSUI), have been , according to the Indian news site The?Wire.

DU¡¯s move has been criticised by students.

¡°In a democracy, restricting students from appearing in exams is an unlawful [and] a condemnable act,¡± the NSUI, which is among the country¡¯s largest student organisations, with 521,000 followers on Twitter.

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The decision also prompted warnings from some academics, who say it could stifle students¡¯ ability to express dissent ¨C at DU and other institutions across the country.

¡°Two students sought knowledge about human rights abuses and their university is punishing them,¡± Audrey Truschke, associate professor of South Asian history at Rutgers University-Newark, who researches Hindu nationalism.

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¡°This is, sadly, to be expected,¡± she added, noting increasing limitations on anti-government speech in India.

Apoorvanand, a Hindi professor at DU, agreed.

¡°One can see what it is doing is sending a message that this will have a very chilling effect on students: ¡®don¡¯t try to risk their career for free expression or for something which the government doesn¡¯t like,¡¯¡± he said.

He said that the university was taking a ¡°very clever¡± strategy by punishing two students more harshly while ¡°letting others go¡±.

¡°Because many students were part of that screening, when you choose two, it becomes very unpredictable. The students who were punished are also isolated, so it fails to become a collective issue.¡±

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He worried that other universities would take a lead from DU, one of India¡¯s most prestigious universities.

¡°Delhi University claims to lead by example,¡± he said. ¡°It will set the precedent [for] other universities that they can also use these measures against students.¡±

pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com