The two-part BBC documentary titled “India: The Modi Question” investigated allegations of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots. The riots were triggered by the deaths of Hindu pilgrims at the Godhra train burning incident.
The government used emergency powers to block the documentary from being viewed in India. But people are still finding ways to watch the film online.
Part 1
A bbc documentary on modi on India’s prime minister has provoked furious reaction in New Delhi. The two-part documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” questions the actions of PM Narendra Modi during the Hindu-Muslim riots that tore through the western state of Gujarat in 2002. More than 1,000 people — mostly Muslims — were killed, and some 150,000 were uprooted from their homes. The documentary, which aired in January, has brought these dark days back into the spotlight. It has angered the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and drawn criticism from international human rights organizations.
The documentary cites a secret report from the British foreign ministry that concluded that Modi’s government was directly responsible for the violence and that it had the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing. The program also quotes a senior diplomat who says the violence was deliberate and politically motivated. The government has not formally banned the document, but it has blocked access to it on YouTube by blocking clips through a series of I.T. rules that it passed in 2021.
Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University gathered in the winter chill outside the campus to watch the documentary in defiance of university officials, who closed the gates and turned off the electricity in order to stop them from viewing the film. A small group of masked men then attacked them, hurling stones. The documentary has also raised concerns about the Indian government’s treatment of free speech.
In response to the documentary, the government has accused the BBC of bias and a continuing colonial mindset. It has also accused the program of being anti-Indian, saying it is “a propaganda piece.” The government has also blocked sharing of the documentary on social media platforms in India.
The BBC, for its part, has denied that the documentary is biased or anti-Indian. The corporation says that it was rigorously researched and has featured a broad range of voices and witnesses. The documentary has also highlighted a number of claims by local residents that the police had ignored or failed to intervene in the violence.
Part 2
The second part of the BBC documentary series India: The Modi Question aired on Tuesday night in the UK. It focuses on the rise of Hindu nationalists in India. The documentary also delves into the violence and repression of minorities in India under Modi’s government. It claims that the BJP is engaging in “ethnic cleansing” of Muslims in India. The BJP denied these claims.
The documentary was controversial in India, with critics accusing it of anti-Modi bias and of promoting Hindu nationalism. It was also banned on YouTube and social media in India, reportedly due to pressure from the BJP government. But many Indians were still able to watch the document by setting up their own screenings. Some were even attacked by rightwing groups for doing so. The BJP accused the BBC of having an anti-Modi agenda for revisiting allegations from two decades ago that had been dismissed by the courts.
One of the biggest issues in the documentary is its claim that Modi played a key role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. It claims that the riots were a form of religious genocide, led by Hindu nationalists, against Muslims. The documentary also claims that the government in Gujarat was complicit in the riots. It alleges that the state government had encouraged the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to lead the riots, and that Modi himself was involved in directing the police.
It was also claimed that the riots were used to purge Muslim areas of India, which is seen as an ongoing goal of Modi’s government today. The documentary has led to protests from opposition MPs, including the firebrand TMC leader Derek O’Brien. In a tweet, O’Brien claimed that Twitter had blocked her links to the BBC documentary on Modi, claiming it was “censorship”.
The BBC has been defending its reporting, saying that it is not biased and was rigorously researched. But the Indian government has condemned the BBC’s report, calling it propaganda. This has caused a major controversy between the UK and India at a diplomatic level.
Summary
The two-part BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question” will be screened in the United States this week, drawing attention to human rights issues in India just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit. The documentary examines allegations that Modi failed to intervene during violent riots in the state of Gujarat in 2002 that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. The film also discusses Modi’s early career and his ties to a right-wing Hindu organization.
The BBC’s broadcast of the documentary in Britain sparked a storm of controversy in India. The government blocked access to the show and forced social media companies like Twitter and YouTube to remove clips, using emergency laws. The government said the documentary was full of “hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage.” It has since filed a defamation suit against the BBC for the documentary.
In addition to blocking the documentary, Indian officials have also searched the offices of the BBC in Delhi and Mumbai. They have also opened an investigation into the broadcaster for alleged violations of foreign exchange rules. The government has rejected accusations that it is seeking revenge for the documentary, saying it was motivated by the threat of violence and terrorism in the country.
Despite the government’s attempts to censor the documentary, it has received international support from organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. It has also gained traction among liberal students at universities across the world, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, where a group of student activists held a screening of the documentary this week.
During the screening, the students asked a series of questions about the documentary’s accuracy. They also highlighted the many examples of discrimination against minorities in India and criticized the government’s repressive policies. The event drew around 100 students, who were encouraged by the professor to speak freely and engage with each other. The screening also featured a speech from the director of the BBC’s Hindi service and the president of a leading Indian student association. The director of the student association also called on the government to end its repression and promote free speech.
Final Words
The first episode of the BBC’s two-part documentary India: The Modi Question aired in the UK on Tuesday and has triggered an outcry in India. The document revisits allegations from 2002 that PM Narendra Modi failed to stop anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat, which left more than 1,000 people dead. Modi has denied the charges, and a Supreme Court panel found him not guilty of negligence in 2012.
The documentary, which was co-produced by the Guardian newspaper, cites a previously classified British Foreign Office report describing how Modi met with police officers in the aftermath of the violence to order them not to intervene. It also cites unnamed sources saying that he encouraged the mobs to attack Muslims. It concludes that the riots would have been impossible without the “climate of impunity created by the state government,” and that Modi is directly responsible.
Several Indian politicians, including some from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused the BBC of pursuing an anti-Modi agenda by revisiting allegations that are two decades old. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court demanding that the BBC be banned from operating in India, but it was dismissed last year. Students at universities across the country have held screenings of the documentary despite threats of arrest and violence from rightwing groups. Some have even had to use virtual private networks to access the film, which is currently unavailable on YouTube or Twitter in India.
YouTube’s head of international news told The Intercept that the platform has received requests from the Indian government to remove the documentary, but that they are in violation of copyright law. The BBC’s own website still has links to the documentary, though those links are now inaccessible from outside of the U.K.
The controversy over the documentary is a reminder of how easily governments around the world can stifle criticism of their leaders. It also highlights how India’s global rise is being accompanied by growing concerns about human rights abuses at home and abroad. It is important to keep these issues in mind as the US, UK and other countries strike trade deals and forge close alliances with the world’s largest democracy.
FAQs:
- Is the BBC documentary on Modi unbiased? The impartiality of the BBC documentary on Modi has been a subject of debate. While the network strives for objectivity, some critics argue that certain aspects of the documentary may have a particular perspective or bias. Viewers are encouraged to engage critically and seek multiple sources to form a well-rounded understanding.
- What key insights did the documentary offer about Modi’s leadership? The documentary highlighted various aspects of Modi’s leadership, including his ability to connect with the masses through social media, his emphasis on economic reforms, and his approach to international diplomacy. It also delved into controversies surrounding his tenure, such as the handling of communal tensions and dissenting voices.
