The proposed screening of the documentary Prisoner No. 626710 is Present at the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad has been flagged by the Central Board of Film Certification over the film's certification status.
The documentary, directed by filmmaker Lalit Vachani, was scheduled to be screened at IIIT Hyderabad's KRB Auditorium on September 18, 2026. The proposed programme was organised by a group of students and was announced in connection with Political Prisoners' Day. According to reports, the students subsequently decided to cancel the proposed screening following the CBFC's intervention.
The CBFC raised the issue on September 17, stating that publicly screening a documentary that has not received certification would violate the Cinematograph Act unless a specific exemption had been obtained. The board also tagged IIIT Hyderabad in its public communication and asked the institute's authorities to take note of the matter.
The certification issue is central to the controversy. Under the position stated by the CBFC, an uncertified film cannot be publicly exhibited unless an applicable exemption has been granted. The board's intervention therefore focused on the proposed public screening rather than announcing that the documentary itself had been banned. Reports on the development describe the issue as one concerning certification and exhibition requirements.
IIIT Hyderabad subsequently distanced itself from the proposed event. In its response, the institute said that neither IIIT Hyderabad nor any of its recognised student clubs, cells or organisations had organised or hosted a screening of an uncertified film.
The institute also stated that it has established procedures for official events and activities on its campus. It said that individual interactions involving students or faculty should not automatically be considered institute-organised activities or be interpreted as representing the institution's views.
According to The News Minute, IIIT Hyderabad Director Sandeep Kumar Shukla informed students that the venue booking had been cancelled and that no public or private screening would be permitted in institute spaces, including classrooms, laboratories or offices. The communication reportedly followed the CBFC's objection to the proposed programme.
The documentary at the centre of the controversy is titled Prisoner No. 626710 is Present and is directed by Lalit Vachani. The film focuses on Umar Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University research scholar who has remained in custody since his arrest in September 2020.
Khalid was arrested in connection with the investigation into the alleged larger conspiracy related to the Northeast Delhi riots. He has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other provisions of law. The charges and allegations against him remain matters for judicial proceedings, and they should not be treated as established findings merely because they have been made in a criminal case.
The proposed IIIT Hyderabad screening was linked by its organisers to Political Prisoners' Day. The event invitation also referred to the death anniversary of Jatindra Nath Das, a revolutionary associated with the Indian independence movement who died in 1929 after a prolonged hunger strike in Lahore jail.
The IIIT Hyderabad development follows another proposed screening of the same documentary at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru. That screening, scheduled for September 14, was postponed after opposition from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. The student organisers cited logistical and security considerations for the postponement and said the screening could be held later.
The developments at both institutions have brought attention to the rules governing the exhibition of uncertified films at educational institutions. The CBFC's position is that public exhibition requires certification or a specific exemption. At the same time, the IIIT Hyderabad case also highlights the distinction between an event organised by an institution or its recognised bodies and activities undertaken independently by individual students.
The documentary's certification status has therefore become an important factor in determining whether a public campus screening can proceed. The CBFC's intervention at IIIT Hyderabad was specifically connected to the proposed public exhibition of the uncertified film, while the institute maintained that it had not officially organised or hosted the event.
As of September 18, reports said the proposed IIIT Hyderabad screening had been cancelled. The institute's statement and the CBFC's communication represent the two principal positions in the dispute: the CBFC raised concerns about the legal requirements for exhibiting an uncertified film, while IIIT Hyderabad said the proposed event was not an institute-organised programme.