New Delhi: In early February, actor Naseeruddin Shah said that the Mumbai University had invited him to a programme on the Urdu language, but that the invitation was withdrawn at the last moment. Shah had described the experience as both humiliating and disappointing.Now, the Mumbai University has come into the spotlight because similar allegations have surfaced from senior filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, who said that he was denied entry to the university.According to a report in Hindustan Times, last Saturday (February 28), documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan was stopped at the main gate of the Kalina campus of Mumbai University when he arrived to express solidarity with former student Bhante Vimansa, who has been staging a protest there.Bhante Vimansa, formerly known as Rajesh Balkhande, is a former research scholar whose PhD admission was cancelled in 2023 for exceeding the prescribed time limit. He is currently holding a sit-in protest inside the campus and demanding, among other things, government funding for the Pali language department and the renovation of the boys’ hostel.Patwardhan is well known for films that address issues related to governance, administration and politics. The decision to prevent his entry into the university campus has drawn strong reactions.Commenting on the incident, social activist Sandesh Gaikwad said on social media that the episode raises concerns about freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.He described the denial of entry to a senior filmmaker as “unfortunate” and said the university should clarify its position.Speaking to the newspaper, Anand Patwardhan said no proper reason was given for stopping him from entering the campus. Eventually, he met Bhante Vimansa at the university gate, presented him with a rose as a gesture of solidarity, and inquired about his health.The university has denied that Patwardhan had been specifically barred.In an official statement, the administration said it had no information about Patwardhan’s proposed visit and added that if it had been informed in advance, it would have formally welcomed him and clarified its position.The university described the ongoing protest as “illegal” and a potential security risk. It said that more than 5,000 postgraduate students study at the Kalina campus, which also houses international student residences, faculty housing and administrative offices. Given the law-and-order concerns arising from what it called an unauthorised protest, the administration said that all individuals seeking entry are being questioned before being allowed inside.Translated from The Wire Hindi.