From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The BBC on Tuesday said its documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his role in the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 when he was the chief minister was broadcast on television in the UK and not in India.
People and students became interested in viewing it after the Modi government attempted to block the people from sharing “India: Modi question” online calling it “hostile propaganda and anti-Indi garbage” with a “colonial mindset.”
The BBC confirmed the Income Tax Department’s survey at its Delhi and Mumbai offices shortly before noon, saying it was “fully cooperating” with the authorities. “We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible,” said a BBC spokesperson in a short statement issued here.
The Editors Guild of India said it was “deeply concerned” about the searches.
They are a “continuation of a trend of using government agencies to intimidate and harass press organisations that are critical of government policies or the ruling establishment,” it said.
WHAT IS DOCUMENTARY
The 2-part documentary tracks Modi’s first steps into politics, including his rise through the ranks of the BJP to his appointment as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat.
It highlights a previously unpublished report, obtained by the BBC from the UK Foreign Office, which raises questions about Modi’s actions during the religious riots.
The rioting began the day after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims from Ayodhya was set on fire at Godhra in Gujarat, killing dozens. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, died in the subsequent violence.
The Foreign Office report claims that Modi was “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the violence.
Modi has long rejected accusations against him, and has not apologised for the riots. In 2013, a Supreme Court panel also said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
The BBC said last month that the Indian government was offered a right to reply to the documentary but it declined.
The broadcaster said the film was “rigorously researched” and “a wide range of voices, witnesses and experts were approached, and we have featured a range of opinions, including responses from people in the BJP”.
