JNU students disrupt shooting of web series on Emergency on campus

The shooting of a web series on the Emergency period in India in the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi was disrupted by the varsity's students' union on Saturday, even as the administration said that it has granted permission for the shooting to take place on campus premises.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union objected to the shooting of the web series on campus at the administration block, terming it as "commercialisation" of the university space and demanded to know why permission was granted to film at the administration block when students are barred from protesting at the site.

Nearly 500 crew members have been stationed on campus for the past two days setting up production facilities to shoot the web series on the Emergency period in India, a senior official told PTI.

"The JNUSU has illegally obstructed and also tried to force film director Sudhir Mishra out of the JNU campus. The film director has taken due permission from the JNU authority to shoot a web series on the emergency period in India," the official said.

Speaking to PTI, production manager of the web series Amar alleged, "A large group of students assembled and started disrupting while we were filming a scene near the administration block. They also hackled the director Sudhir Mishra and hurled abusive words against our team. We were forced to stop the shooting."

An immediate reaction was not available from Mishra on the allegation.

According to the production manager, the director tried to hold dialogue with the opposing students and convince them that the web series was not against the varsity. However, the students continued to disrupt the shooting.

JNUSU president Dhananjay denied the claim and said, "We are not against the web series or its team. But we won't allow any kind of commercialisation to take place on campus," he told PTI demanding the administration to return to money taken for allowing the shooting.

Earlier in the day, the students' body had written to the varsity administration opposing the web series shooting at the administration block on the campus.

In an email to the JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit, the students union demanded to know why the shooting was allowed within 100 metre radius of the administration block while the students are barred from entering the space to stage protests.

"We have come to know that a shooting of a film by Sudhir Mishra is happening at the administration block. It is appalling to know that it is the same place where students aren't allowed to gather for raising their rightful demands," the email read further stating that action is taken against students if they try to hold protests at the site.

"We have been opposed to the commercialisation of our university space. This is a public university and this space should not be used for any kind of commercial purpose," it further read.

The students' body demanded to know why the team was granted permission to gather students for shooting, claiming that it was involving students in the shooting of the web series.

The students body also demanded to know details of the monetary transaction with the administration for the shooting.