“A piece of propaganda. One-sided. Characterized by colonialist ideas.” This is how the Indian authorities describe the BBC documentary that has sent shock waves in India. – There is clearly an agenda behind this documentary, said a spokesman for the authorities during a press conference before the weekend. The first episode of the documentary has gone viral on social media. But in India, the government has blocked it on all platforms. Modi’s government has indeed adopted an emergency clause in the law to prevent the spread of the documentary. – Videos from BBC World’s hateful propaganda and anti-India rubbish disguised as a documentary have been blocked on YouTube, writes one of Modi’s advisors on Twitter. – Twitter has been ordered to block over 50 messages with links to the video, while YouTube has been asked to block all uploads. Both companies have complied, the Modi adviser writes. The BBC says in a statement that the documentary is based on “thorough research, and adheres to the highest ethical standards.” They write that they are committed to bringing important issues from around the world to light. The BBC says Indian authorities were offered to respond in the documentary but declined. POPULAR: Narendra Modi is hailed by his supporters in the capital New Delhi. Photo: SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP In the documentary, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is accused of being personally responsible for what is described as the worst ethnic cleansing in India in decades. The 2002 riots in Gujrat have hung like a dark cloud over Modi’s political career for decades. Over 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in the state he led 20 years ago. He has been repeatedly accused of being behind a conspiracy against India’s Muslim minority. The BBC documentary places much of the blame for the deadly street fighting on Prime Minister Modi. Secret investigation The documentary is based on a secret report on the deadly riots. Within a few months, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, many women were raped, and thousands of shops and homes were set on fire. Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw asked British investigators to look into the violence in Gujrat. Photo: AMAN SHARMA / Ap The man who ordered the investigation into the riots in Gujrat was Jack Straw, then foreign minister in Great Britain. He says he was shaken by the gross violence. – We had to tread carefully. We sent a team to Gujrat to find out what happened. They presented a thorough report, says Straw in the documentary. The report states: The violence was a politically motivated campaign carried out by Hindu nationalists. The aim was to force Muslims out of Hindu neighbourhoods. The organized violence bore the stamp of ethnic cleansing. And, here comes the claim in the documentary that has made India’s Prime Minister see red: – BBC out of India Modi’s supporters are furious at the BBC. They believe the documentary is part of an organized smear campaign. Many of them are demanding that the British broadcaster be thrown out of India. – The truth is out there, but the British propaganda channel has tried to spread lies and thought they could get away with it. Tonight we say in Republic TV that the BBC must get out of India. That’s what India’s most controversial TV host, Arnab Goswami, says in the introduction to his popular debate show. He is India’s answer to Fox news host Tucker Carlson. He hosts one of India’s most watched news programs and is a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Modi. The authorities refute all claims in the documentary. They point out that the riots in Gujrat have been thoroughly investigated in India. They also say that the allegations against Narendra Modi were considered by the judicial system all the way up to India’s Supreme Court, which found no basis to prosecute the Prime Minister. – The BBC has fabricated this documentary. Modi was never involved in the riots. He ensured peace and order as state minister. Viewers get to decide what the BBC is up to, says Dr. Prakash Reddy, spokesman for the ruling BJP party. Deadly train fire The violence in Gujrat was sparked by the death of 59 Hindus in a fire on board a train. Investigators could not conclude how the fatal fire started. – People were furious. All over India it was believed that these Hindu pilgrims were killed by Muslims, says Swapan Dasgupta, a former MP from the ruling BJP in the documentary. – What caused the fire was disputed. But Muslims were blamed, says the BBC reporter who covered the riots, Jill McGivering. She has been central in making the documentary. – This is happening in a state where there has been great tension between Hindus and Muslims. Religious groups have clashed several times. The fear was that this train fire would trigger new riots from angry Hindus, says the reporter in the documentary. The fear turned out to be justified. The very next day, parts of Gujrat’s largest city were on fire. – Most everything in the center of downtown Ahmadabad was on fire. It was lawless conditions. People looted and ravaged. I saw police officers who stood passively and watched without intervening against the looters, says the BBC reporter. This is refuted by the Indian authorities, who indicate that several hundred police officers died during the riots. Shortly after the deadly riots, Modi spoke to a British journalist about the unrest. – Did the police, who were under your command, do enough to prevent the riots? – Not only enough, but the police did an incredible job. We got the situation under control within 72 hours, Modi answers firmly. Divided India Narendra Modi has ruled India since 2014. His Hindu nationalist BJP has made by-election after by-election. Modi’s personal story inspires many poor Indians. The fact that he, who started life selling tea in the streets, has ended up as India’s most powerful man inspires many. Many people support the course he has set out for his country. He promises to lift India out of poverty, and make the country an international superpower. But he also divides India’s 1.3 billion inhabitants. 80 percent of them are Hindus, while 15 percent are Muslims. In addition to countless other ethnic and religious groupings. Modi opponents during a demonstration in New Delhi. Photo: ADNAN ABIDI / Reuters Many of the minority believe he is pursuing a discriminatory policy towards religious minorities. His critics believe he is making India less tolerant and more authoritarian.
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Indian authorities block critical BBC documentary – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
