4 days ago
‘Direct attack on India's secular, democratic values': Documentary screening at TISS to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day draws flak from student bodies
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai held a screening of the documentary Demography is Destiny on Thursday to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, drawing criticism from multiple student organisations who alleged the film promotes a biased and communal narrative.
In a statement issued to announce the programme earlier, TISS said the film explores India's shifting demographic trends through census data, historical records, and regional case studies. It highlights a decline in the majority community's population from 82 per cent in 1881 to approximately 79 per cent in 2011, with future projections estimating a drop to 67 per cent.
The statement said documentary — directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Ravindra Sanghvi — also focuses on regions such as Kashmir, Assam, Bengal, and Western Uttar Pradesh, where it claims significant increases in the Muslim population, partly attributed to illegal immigration.
The documentary, the statement said, also discusses themes of infiltration, religious conversions, and the declining Hindu fertility rate.
Sunil Ambekar, Akhil Bharat Prachar Pramukh of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was the chief guest.
As the news of the screening spread on campus, it prompted backlash from students.
Five student organisations — the Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA), Muslim Students' Federation (MSF), All India Students Federation (AISF), Progressive Students' Forum (PSF), and Satyashodhak Vidyarthi Sanghatna (SVS) — issued statements condemning the event.
They called the film 'agenda-driven' and raised questions on the academic and secular values of TISS, a prominent social science institute.
In their public statements, the students' groups claimed that the documentary spreads fear through unverified claims about religious conversions and infiltration, with the AISF calling it 'a direct attack on India's secular, democratic values.'
ASA described it as aligning with an 'RSS worldview,' while PSF stated it aimed to 'create religious hatred and communal polarisation.' SVS raised concerns about the credibility of the data used in the film and questioned its relevance in an academic setting.
Questioning the choice of chief guest for the event, Amir Kazi, Mumbai President, AISF, said, 'The institute has been discouraging student-led political activity while inviting a political figure to campus.'
Despite the criticism by student organisations, the TISS administration said there was no opposition to the event. 'We have not received any letter of opposition from any student organisation. In fact, the event was held smoothly without any protest,' a TISS source said.
