2 min readMumbaiMar 4, 2026 08:59 PM ISTPatwardhan said he was stopped by security personnel at the main gate without being given a reason.(Credit: Vijayan Raghavan)Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan has alleged that he was denied entry to the Kalina campus of University of Mumbai on February 28 when he attempted to meet Buddhist monk Bhanteji Vimamsa, who has been staging a sit-in protest on the premises.Patwardhan said he was stopped by security personnel at the main gate without being given a reason. “Bhanteji Vimamsa then walked up to the closed gate and we exchanged greetings there. It was very disturbing,” he said.The filmmaker was in the area to attend a poetry and storytelling event by actor Naseeruddin Shah and decided to visit the campus to extend support to the protesting monk.Bhanteji Vimamsa, formerly Rajesh Balkhande, is a former research scholar whose PhD admission was cancelled in 2023 after he exceeded the stipulated completion period. He is currently holding a sit-in protest inside the campus, demanding government grants for the Pali language department and renovation of the boys’ hostel, among other issues.Also Read | Why Anand Patwardhan made his latest documentary: ‘A lot of our history is being wiped out today’Patwardhan linked the incident to what he described as a broader pattern. “That was an Urdu event, and this protest is about preserving the Pali language, an ancient Indian language. The administration’s approach toward a Dalit protester reflects the current government’s ideology,” he said.The university, however, denied that Patwardhan was specifically barred. In a written statement, the administration said it was unaware of his proposed visit and would have formally welcomed him and presented its position had it been informed.Calling the ongoing protest “illegal” and a potential security concern, the university said over 5,000 postgraduate students study at the Kalina campus, which also houses international students, faculty residences and administrative offices. “Due to law and order concerns arising from the ongoing sit-in protest being conducted illegally by Rajesh Balkhande, all concerned individuals are being questioned before being granted entry,” the statement said.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Anand Patwardhan