Cinema at the Nexus: Prisoner No. 626710 is Present | Introduction by Sana Aiyar

Prisoner No. 626710 is Present (2023), 60 minutes. | Lalit Vachani (director)

Introduction by Sana Aiyar (History)

Topic: Citizenship Laws in India, Student Activism, Coming of Age

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. 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.

Cinema at the Nexus is an institute-wide film series showcasing films/documentaries that grapple with pressing issues of our day aiming to make some sense of what we are experiencing today.

Other events in the series:
• Cinema at the Nexus: “The Cost of AI” | Introduction by Eric Robsky Huntley, October 27
• Cinema at the Nexus: Citizenfour | Introduction by Mariel Garcia-Montes (HASTS) and Michelle Spektor (SERC), November 4
 

Supported by the SHASS Dean’s grant, hosted by the MIT Libraries.

Pizza and light refreshments will be served.