Disallowing the screening of the political film, ‘Buddha in a Traffic Jam’, in the Jadavpur University, the students clashed yesterday.

According to the officials, the disturbance has started after the film’s screening ended late in the evening. ABVP students fought with the left unions, among whom, few were injured.
 
The state-run varsity's alumni association, which runs the Triguna Sen auditorium, had decided to cancel the booking for a pre-release screening of the film in their hall. However, the producers continued screening the film in the campus, saying they have support from another group of students.

“The students arranged a bed-sheet and turned it into a screen to see my film. Many watched it and realised it's not what they were thinking. It is a realistic film,” Agnihotri, who has in the past made films like Hate Story and Goal, said.

A few of the girls, reportedly, were even molested by the 'outsiders' and later a complaint was filed against them.

Allegedly, some students manhandled and gheraoed the filmmaker and even broke his car’s glass pane.

Responding to the issue, the filmmaker Agnihotri said, “The film, which stars Anupam Kher and Arunoday Singh in important roles, has so far been screened in a number of educational institutes throughout the country. I faced some issues and non-cooperation from some people during the screenings.”

After the classes were over, the screening was arranged in the evening and it was then, the agitators carried on with a protest demonstration near the spot.

The agitating students said that they were disturbed with the divisive content in the film and so protesting against it.

“We all know Kher's views in the whole debate on whatever happened in JNU. He is acting in this film which has divisive content. We are protesting against that,” Sounak Mukherjee, a first year MA student of English department, said.

JU VC Suranjan Das said the state varsity had no role to play in the cancellation of the screening. “The hall doesn't belong to us. It is not controlled at all by us. We have no role to play in the screening or cancellation,” he said.

By Phani Ch