Claiming that they have been insulted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom will hold a protest against the broadcaster on Sunday, January 29. The BBC documentary India: The Modi Question has evoked strong reactions across Indian society. The first part of the documentary, which aired on January 17, put the blame of the Gujarat riots on Modi, who was the state Chief Minister when the riots took place in 2002. Part two will be aired on Tuesday, January 24.
The Indian government banned it from being shown in the country, citing its ‘sensitive’ nature. It has also been taken off Youtube for its ‘divisive content’. The documentary alleges that at the time of the Gujarat riots, the police had been stopped from taking action. Citing an internal UK government report that had been classified so far, the documentary says that, according to the British team that conducted the inquiry, “Narendra Modi is directly responsible." The inquiry team’s report in 2002 also purportedly said that the riots were to purge Muslims from Gujarat.
London-based consultant Adit Kothari said, “It is important to raise awareness not only within the British Hindu and the Indian diaspora but also among other communities in Britain so that they get aware of this ‘anti-Hindu’ agenda.” Rami Ranger, British MP in the House of Lords wrote a letter of condemnation to Tim Davie, BBC Director General, saying, among other things, that the timing of the BBC documentary is sinister considering that India and the UK are working for a free trade agreement, India has assumed the presidency of G20 and the UK has an Indian-origin prime minister.
This will be the UK diaspora's second protest against the BBC in three months. The earlier one was related to the BBC's coverage of the Leicester violence.
With inputs from IANS.