B’luru: Student groups pressure leads to IIFF cutting ties with Israeli consulate
Bengaluru: In response to mounting pressure from student organizations, the Innovative International Film Festival (IIFF) has rescinded its invitation to the Consul General of Israel to South India and withdrawn its plans to feature Israel as one of the “Countries of Focus” for this year’s festival.
This decision comes after a coordinated effort led by various student bodies, including the All India Students Association, Students for People’s Democracy, COLLECTIVE Bangalore, and the Students Islamic Organisation of India. The groups voiced their concerns regarding Israel’s participation at the event, citing Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, which have resulted in widespread civilian casualties and the destruction of educational institutions.
In a joint statement, the student groups expressed their shock at the IIFF’s collaboration with Israeli authorities, particularly in light of Israel’s alleged genocide in Gaza and its recent attacks on Lebanon.
They pointed out that the festival’s association with the Israeli government, despite being supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), was inappropriate given Israel’s human rights record.
“We were extremely shocked and concerned that the IIFF was being supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and NFDC, despite partnering with Israeli authorities at a time when Israel has escalated its genocide in Gaza and expanded its sphere of terrorism to Lebanon,” the statement read.
The student groups also criticized several prominent academic institutions in Bengaluru—such as Christ University, St. Joseph’s University, Mount Carmel College, New Horizon College, and Jyoti Nivas College—for affiliating with the film festival. They highlighted the destruction of educational institutions in Gaza, where 80% of schools have reportedly been destroyed, and accused Israeli forces of targeting Palestinian academics.
Following intense pressure from these student organizations, IIFF organizers revised their decision, deleting social media posts promoting Israel’s participation and releasing a new brochure that excluded Israel from the list of countries of focus. The student groups applauded this move, commending the festival organizers for withdrawing from ties with the Israeli authorities.
The release further emphasized the need to oppose what they described as Israel’s attempts to use cultural platforms like film festivals to normalize its image on the international stage. The IIFF had initially promoted various opportunities tied to Israel, including film education exchange programs, joint ventures for film infrastructure, and content production studios.
Furthermore, the student groups raised concerns about efforts being made to influence students through such collaborations, stating that, “students from one of the participating colleges reported that their administrations were pressuring them to perform and participate in the festival.”
The statement reaffirmed the students’ organizations solidarity with the Palestinian people, referencing a recent reiteration of India’s stance on Palestine by the Minister of External Affairs in the Lok Sabha, where India expressed its long-standing support for a two-state solution.
According to the release, the student groups also called on academic institutions across Karnataka to heed the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. They urged colleges and universities to terminate existing collaborations with Israeli institutions and refrain from forming new partnerships, drawing parallels to the successful international boycott of South Africa during its apartheid era.
"This is a moral imperative," the statement added, urging the people to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
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Gujarat man held for impersonating govt official, duping people with forged letters
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior revenue official and used fake letters claiming to be from various government departments to cheat people, an official said on Sunday.
Mehul Shah, an engineer who manages two schools at Vankaner in Gujarat’s Morbi district, is accused of making lakhs of rupees with bogus documents and false claims, said inspector (crime branch) JK Makwana.
Shah had forged an appointment letter from the Ahmedabad district education officer (DEO) to offer a computer operator’s job in a government office to a complainant’s son. He also introduced himself as a trustee of a school and did not pay a man Rs 7 lakh due to him over the painting of a school building, the official said.
“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” the police official said.
One complainant alleged that Shah identified himself as a top revenue department official and produced a fake letter from the chairman of the “department of science and research development” to make him install a siren and curtain in a hired vehicle but did not pay for the job, he said.
Bogus letters claiming to be from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ahmedabad DEO were used by the accused to cheat the complainants, the police official said.
Police have recovered from his possession fake identity cards and letters with headings like “bharat gaurav ratna shri samman council”, “chairman of department of science and research development”, “health and family welfare department”, and “road and building department”.
“The FIR is based on complaints by three victims. We appeal to the people to come forward and submit their complaints if they have been cheated by Shah in any way,” Makwana said.
