Arrests have begun in India of students for watching a BBC documentary about the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Policy reported.

The American edition informs about dozens of arrested students, mostly of the Muslim faith, studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University and also at the National Islamic University in New Delhi. It is noted that the local authorities intended to cut off electricity in the city blocks where the educational institutions were located to prevent the screening of the film.

Banned by Indian authorities, the documentary titled "India: The Modi Question" touches on his involvement in suppressing religious clashes between Muslims and Hindus in 2002. At the time, Modi was the head of the Gujarati state.

In February 2002, the Hindu community and pilgrims accused Muslims of deliberately torching a passenger train that killed 58 people and began pogroms against Muslim enclaves in Ahmedabad, Gujarati. Foreign Policy points out that Modi then took a pro-Hindu stance.