India asks Twitter, YouTube to take down BBC Modi documentary links
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India asks Twitter, YouTube to take down BBC Modi documentary links
(Web Desk) – Indian government ordered social media giants YouTube and Twitter to remove links to a BBC documentary - "India: The Modi Question" – which is about the 2002 Gujarat riots in which hundreds of Muslims were slaughtered by BJP goons and exposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the tragic incident , reported local Indian media outlets.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry in India has ordered the blocking of the first episode of the BBC documentary "India: The Modi Question" on Twitter and YouTube, following British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s statement distancing himself from the documentary and disagreeing with the depiction of Indian Prime Minister Modi by Pakistan-origin MP Imran Hussain in the UK’s parliament, as per NDTV sources.
India has ordered Twitter to delete over 50 tweets related to the documentary. An opposition figure, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, had his tweet about the documentary removed by Twitter.
"Censorship. Twitter has taken down my tweet about the BBC documentary. It received hundreds of thousands of views. The one-hour BBC documentary exposes how PM hates minorities," O’Brien said.
— Derek O Brien | (@derekobrienmp) January 21, 2023
Earlier, India’s foreign ministry on Thursday dismissed a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi which questioned his leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots as "propaganda".
Modi was the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat when it was gripped by communal riots that left more than 1,000 people dead - most of them Muslims. The violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59.
Accused of failing to stop the rioting, Modi denied the accusations and was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry by India’s top court. Another petition questioning his exoneration was dismissed last year.
Terming the BBC documentary a "propaganda piece" meant to push a "discredited narrative", foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said a "bias", "lack of objectivity", and "continuing colonial mindset" is "blatantly visible" in it.
"It makes us wonder about the purpose of this exercise and the agenda behind it, and we do not wish to dignify such efforts," he told a news conference.
The BBC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
