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Tag: BBC

  • BBC Modi docu: Students manhandled, ‘detained’ during protest, alleges AISA

    BBC Modi docu: Students manhandled, ‘detained’ during protest, alleges AISA

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    New Delhi: Several students protesting against the debarment of two students over the screening of the controversial BBC documentary alleged on Friday that they were manhandled by the police and university security inside the Delhi University’s Arts Faculty.

    The students were sitting on an indefinite strike to protest against the “draconian” action by the university authorities. There was no immediate reaction from the varsity authority and the police.

    The students have claimed that there were heavy police and paramilitary forces deployments inside the varsity’s arts faculty ahead of the protest.

    “Students who gathered for the indefinite strike against debarring of two students from DU have been beaten and detained by Delhi Police and DU Guards. As many as 25 students have been detained,” All India Students’ Association (AISA) Delhi president Abhigyan told PTI.

    According to sources, several students have been taken to Burari police station.

    “Students gathered at arts’ faculty against the arbitary notice debarring two students have been brutally beaten, manhandled and detained. This exposes the Nexus of the police, BJP-RSS backed college administration. We will not be silenced by such measures, protest to protect our campus democracy, dissent will continue untill this notice is withdrawn!” AISA DU Secretary Anjali said.

    In a video shared by the AISA activists, security forces of the university were seen dragging, removing and pushing students from the spot.

    Delhi University has barred two students, including a Congress students’ wing leader, for a year for allegedly participating in a screening of the BBC documentary titled ‘The Modi Question’ on the 2002 Godhra riots on campus.

    During this period, the students will not be allowed to take any university or college or departmental examination, according to the memorandum dated March 10.

    Six other students allegedly involved in the January 27 incident have been given “less strict” punishment, the official said, while indicating that more students might be implicated.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Assam Assembly adopts resolution condemning BBC docu on PM Modi

    Assam Assembly adopts resolution condemning BBC docu on PM Modi

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    Police scrutiny of Madrasa teachers from outside Assam: Himanta

    Dispur: Assam Legislative Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution condemning the “malicious documentary” recently aired by the BBC to “malign India’s growing international standing and foment domestic instability,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.

    Assam Chief Minister Sarma said that the house has collectively demanded that the strictest action be taken against those responsible.

    BBC had released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled ‘India: The Modi Question,” which caused controversy on January 21.

    The Centre had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi. The Supreme Court had on February 3 directed the central government to produce original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • BBC docu screening attempt: DU bars 2 students for a year

    BBC docu screening attempt: DU bars 2 students for a year

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    New Delhi: Delhi University has barred two students, including a Congress students’ wing leader, for a year for allegedly participating in a screening of the BBC documentary on the Godhra riots on campus, a senior official said.

    During this period, the students will not be allowed to take any university or college or departmental examination, according to the memorandum dated March 10.

    Six other students allegedly involved in the January 27 incident have been given “less strict” punishment, the official said, while indicating that more students might be implicated.

    “We have debarred two students and six students have been given less strict punishment. We have also called the parents of several students. More action is expected in the coming days,” the official told PTI.

    She did not specify what punishment was meted out to the other six students.

    The students barred have been identified as Lokesh Chugh — a PhD scholar in the Anthropology department — and Ravinder of the Law faculty.

    The “confidential” memorandum issued to them mentioned that the documentary — “India: The Modi Question” is “banned”. Chugh, the national secretary of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), said he was not present at the Arts faculty on the day of the incident and added that the documentary is not banned.

    “…the act of participation in the showing of the banned BBC documentary is an act of indiscipline on the part of Lokesh Chugh,” the memorandum, a copy of which has been accessed by PTI, stated.

    “On the basis of the recommendations of the committee, the disciplinary authority taking cognisance of the above indiscipline exhibited by Shri Lokesh Chugh, decided to impose the penalty of debarring him from taking any university or college or departmental examination or examinations for one year,” the memorandum read.

    A similar memorandum has been issued to Ravinder, the official said.

    The university had formed a seven-member committee to investigate the ruckus outside the Arts faculty building over screening of the BBC documentary.

    A commotion erupted at the university as students attempted to screen the documentary even as police and the varsity administration intervened.

    The police had detained 24 NSUI-affiliated students during its efforts to scuttle the screening.
    Chugh, however, said he was not among the 24 students.

    “During the screening, I was not on campus. I was participating in a TV debate Moreover, the documentary is not banned but blocked,” he said.

    (Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • MP assembly: Congress MLAs stage walkout against BBC censure motion

    MP assembly: Congress MLAs stage walkout against BBC censure motion

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    Bhopal: Congress MLAs on Tuesday walked out opposing a censure motion that the Madhya Pradesh assembly passed against the BBC for allegedly showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bad light in its documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

    The House on Monday passed the censure motion against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) after it was introduced as a private member resolution. It came days after the Gujarat assembly passed a resolution requesting the Centre to take strict action against BBC for “tarnishing the image and popularity of PM Modi”.

    As the house convened on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Dr Govind Singh quoted news articles saying it was reported that the censure motion was approved “unanimously” by the House, though the Congress had not supported it.

    It is incorrect to say that the motion was approved unanimously as it was brought during “Zero Hour’ without prior notice, Singh said. Also, the motion was not brought before the House business committee for discussion, which he said was against democratic norms.

    The Opposition leader said that the Congress legislature party was opposing this censure motion.

    Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Narottam Mishra, however, countered the charge saying most of the Congress MLAs, except for the party’s state chief Kamal Nath, were present when the motion against BBC was passed in the House. But the leader of opposition didn’t speak then, he said.

    Dr Singh claimed that he had opposed the censure motion at the time but it was not recorded. Some Congress MLAs, including Sajjan Singh Verma, also started speaking about the resolution related to the BBC documentary.

    With several members speaking together, the leader of the opposition announced that the Congress legislature party was staging a walkout against the motion.

    As the Congress members walked out, Speaker Girish Gautam clarified that the censure motion against BBC was passed with a voice vote and not “unanimously”.

    On Monday, the motion against the UK broadcaster was introduced as a private member resolution moved by ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Shailendra Jain and seconded by minister Narottam Mishra.

    Before the motion was passed by voice vote, MLA Jain said the BBC had telecast an objectionable documentary by misinterpreting the 2002 Gujarat riots and portrayed then chief minister Narendra Modi in a bad light.

    He said the documentary had also cast aspersions on the country’s judiciary which amounts to contempt of court and added that the judiciary works independently and freely in India.

    Jain said the Central government should take action against the broadcaster.

    The speaker placed the resolution to test which was passed by a voice vote.

    The Gujarat assembly had on Friday passed a resolution requesting the Centre to take strict action against BBC for “tarnishing the image and popularity of PM Modi with the documentary”.

    A censure motion is an expression of strong disapproval. In Parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote.

    The MP assembly has 230 members 96 from the Congress and 127 from BJP besides four independents, two of BSP and one SP.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • MP Assembly passes ‘censure motion’ against BBC documentary on Modi

    MP Assembly passes ‘censure motion’ against BBC documentary on Modi

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    Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a ‘censure motion’ against a BBC documentary for allegedly showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bad light over the 2002 Gujarat riots.

    The motion was a private member resolution moved by ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Shailendra Jain with the approval of the state’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Narottam Mishra. It was passed by a voice vote.

    With this, after Gujarat — the home state of PM Modi, Madhya Pradesh became the second BJP-ruled state to pass a ‘censor motion’ against the BBC.

    Notably, the Gujarat Assembly had on Friday passed a resolution requesting the Centre to take strict action against the BBC for tarnishing the image and popularity of PM Narendra Modi with the documentary.

    A censure motion is an expression of strong disapproval. In Parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote.

    Before the motion was passed by the Madhya Pradesh Assembly by voice vote on Monday, Jain said the BBC had telecast the objectionable documentary by misinterpreting the 2002 Gujarat riots and portraying the then chief minister Narendra Modi in a bad light.

    He said the documentary had also cast aspersions on the judiciary, which amounts to contempt of court, and added that the judiciary works independently and freely in India.

    He also mentioned that the Central government should not forgive the BBC and take action against the broadcaster.

    Speaker Girish Gautam placed the resolution to test, which was passed by a voice vote.

    The controversial two-part documentary by the BBC titled ‘India: The Modi Question’ claims to have probed certain aspects of the riots, which took place after the Godhra train burning incident, when Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat.

    Notably, earlier in January, soon after its release, the government had issued directions to block multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • BBC to bring back Gary Lineker; social media guidelines to be reviewed

    BBC to bring back Gary Lineker; social media guidelines to be reviewed

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    After BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)’s sports coverage was disrupted for the second consecutive day on Sunday, its director-general Tim Davie said that its star sports presenter Gary Lineker will be back on air with his Match of the Day program this weekend.

    In a statement released on Monday, Davie announced an independent committee will be formed to review the channel’s existing social media guidance with full transparency.

    “Impartiality is important to BBC. It is also important to the public. The BBC has a commitment to impartiality in its Character and a commitment to freedom of expression. That is a difficult balancing act. The BBC’s social media guidance is designed to help manage these sometimes difficult challenges and I am aware there is a need to ensure that the guidance is up to its task. It should be clear, proportionate and appropriate,” the statement read.

    Davie also stated that Lineker is a valued part of the BBC and he is looking forward to working with him this weekend.

    Responding to the statement, Gary Lineker appreciated BBC’s decision and looked forward to getting back on air.

    What happened

    Gary Lineker is a former English football captain. After retirement, he joined the BBC as a sports broadcaster and ran the show Match of the Day which covered international football matches.

    Gary is known for his strong political views that often land him in trouble with the government. On March 7 Lineker criticized the UK’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s immigration policy about stopping immigrants, on social media.

    In his tweet, the 62-year-old described the policy as ‘awful’ and compared it to the Nazi regime. “Good heavens, this is beyond awful” to a video posted on Twitter by the British Home Office announcing the government’s asylum seeker policy. There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”

    His tweet led to many coming heavily on him who said it was inappropriate and unacceptable. In order to control the storm, BBC suspended Match of the Day triggering massive walkouts by staff in solidarity.

    There is mounting pressure on the top team to resolve the crisis after the BBC, which operates through a taxpayer-funded license fee, said it considered Lineker posting such views on social media as a breach of its impartiality guidelines.

    UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told Sky News that he “profoundly” disagrees with Lineker’s comments, but stopped short of demanding an apology.

    “The central thing that people want to know is that there isn’t any kind of political agenda in the way the BBC goes about its business, which I’m not saying there is, but that is the confidence people need to have,” he said.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • BBC sports coverage disrupted for second day over Gary Lineker Twitter row

    BBC sports coverage disrupted for second day over Gary Lineker Twitter row

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    London: The BBC’s sports coverage faced a second day of disruption on Sunday as several members of its staff refused to work in solidarity with star football host Gary Lineker, who was taken off air over a tweet criticising the British government’s migration policy.

    In a post on Tuesday on his Twitter account that has 8.7 million followers, 62-year-old Lineker a former England football captain and now one of the UK’s most influential media figures compared Rishi Sunak government’s language about migrants to that used in Nazi Germany.

    He has not tweeted or commented since the row erupted but the broadcaster’s decision to block him from its flagship “Match of the Day” football show triggered mass walkouts by staff in solidarity.

    Regular sport programmes that were due to be on-air have been replaced with previously aired episodes and some fixtures are to be telecast without the regular supporting expert commentary.

    Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, apologised for the disruption and exuded hope that Lineker would be back on air soon.

    “We are working very hard to resolve this situation and make sure we get output on air,” Davie told the BBC.

    “I am in listening mode. I want to make sure that going forward we have a workable solution. To be clear, success for me is: Gary gets back on air,” he said.

    There is mounting pressure on the top team to resolve the crisis after the BBC, which operates through a taxpayer-funded licence fee, said it considered Lineker posting such views on social media as a breach of its impartiality guidelines.

    UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told Sky News that he “profoundly” disagrees with Lineker’s comments, but stopped short of demanding an apology.

    “If you believe in BBC independence, then it’s not for the Chancellor or any other government minister to say how these issues are resolved,” said Hunt.

    “The central thing that people want to know is that there isn’t any kind of political agenda in the way the BBC goes about its business, which I’m not saying there is, but that is the confidence people need to have,” he added.

    The Conservative government attacked Lineker’s Nazi comparison of a planned illegal migrant crackdown as unacceptable, with UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman among the ministers who branded it “offensive”.

    “I think it is, from a personal point of view, to hear that characterisation is offensive because my husband is Jewish, my children are therefore direct descendants from people who were murdered in gas chambers during the Holocaust,” Braverman told the BBC in the wake of the row earlier this week.

    “To kind of throw out those kind of flippant analogies diminishes the unspeakable tragedy that millions of people went through and I don’t think anything that is happening in the UK today can come close to what happened in the Holocaust. So, I find it a lazy and unhelpful comparison to make,” she said.

    This is the latest controversy over the role of the 100-year-old BBC after the broadcaster’s neutrality came under recent scrutiny over revelations that its chairman, Richard Sharp a donor for the governing Conservative Party was involved in the arrangement of a loan for the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, weeks before he was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • BBC under fire over Attenborough episode, sports presenter Lineker’s Twitter row

    BBC under fire over Attenborough episode, sports presenter Lineker’s Twitter row

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    London: The BBC on Saturday is dealing with a deepening row as it emerged that it decided not to broadcast an episode narrated by world-famous conservationist Sir David Attenborough for a new wildlife series over fears of a right-wing backlash, amid an ongoing controversy over affecting its sports programming involving football legend Gary Lineker.

    Several of the broadcaster’s regular sports presenters have stepped back in solidarity with former England captain and TV pundit Lineker after he was suspended over a controversial tweet related to the government’s migration policy.

    It has now been forced to strongly deny a report in ‘The Guardian’ newspaper that said a sixth episode of the Attenborough-narrated Wild Isles’ series will not be broadcast over political concerns.

    While the newspaper claims that senior sources at the BBC have said that the decision not to show the sixth episode was made to fend off potential criticism from the political right, the BBC claims it was never intended for broadcast in the first place.

    “This is totally inaccurate, there is no sixth episode’. Wild Isles’ is and always was a five-part series and does not shy away from environmental content,” the BBC statement said.

    “We have acquired a separate film for iPlayer [online service] from the RSPB [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds] and WWF [World Wide Fund for Nature] and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles,” it said.

    The documentary series was part-funded by nature charities the WWF and RSPB and all the episodes are narrated by 96-year-old Attenborough.

    The newspaper claims some insiders at the BBC fear the corporation has bowed to pressure from lobbying groups with “dinosaurian ways”.

    The so-called sixth episode is understood to be a stark look at the losses of nature in the UK and what has caused the decline. It is also understood to include some examples of rewilding, a concept that has been controversial in some right-wing circles.

    Laura Howard, who produced the programme and used to work at the BBC’s Natural History Unit, told the ‘Guardian’: “I think the facts speak for themselves. You know, we’ve worked really closely with the RSPB in particular who are able to fact-check all of our scripts and provide us with detailed scientific data and information about the loss of wildlife in this country.

    “And it is undeniable, we are incredibly nature-depleted. And I don’t think that that is political, I think it’s just facts.”

    The controversy comes as the corporation apologised for its “limited sports programming” this weekend and said it is “working hard to resolve the situation” after several of its regular presenters went off air.

    In a post on Tuesday on his Twitter account which has 8.7 million followers, 62-year-old Lineker one of England’s greatest soccer players and now among the UK’s most influential media figures compared lawmakers’ language about migrants to that used in Nazi Germany.

    The BBC, which operates through a taxpayer-funded licence fee, considers Lineker posting such views on social media as a breach of its impartiality guidelines.

    The network said it held discussions with Lineker over his involvement in Match of the Day’, which is broadcast on Saturday nights and shows highlights of English Premier League games that day.

    “The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting ‘Match of the Day’, until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media,” the broadcaster said.

    “We have never said that Gary should be an opinion-free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies,” it added.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Gujarat Assembly passes resolution against BBC for docu on 2002 riots

    Gujarat Assembly passes resolution against BBC for docu on 2002 riots

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    Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Assembly on Friday passed a resolution requesting the Centre to take strict action against BBC for tarnishing the image and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with its documentary on the 2002 riots in the state.

    The controversial two-part series by the British Broadcasting Corporation titled ‘India: The Modi Question’ misrepresents the events of 2002 in a malicious and low-level attempt to tarnish India’s image globally, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vipul Patel said in the House while moving the resolution.

    The documentary claims to have probed certain aspects of the riots, which took place after the Godhra train burning incident when Modi was Gujarat’s chief minister.

    The documentary was banned in India soon after its release.

    Patel’s resolution was supported by BJP MLAs Manisha Vakil, Amit Thaker, Dhavalsinh Zala and minister Harsh Sanghavi.

    It was passed by voice vote in the absence of Congress MLAs who were expelled from the House earlier in the day.

    After passing the resolution unanimously, Speaker Shanker Chaudhary said the attempt by BBC is “reprehensible” and is “condemned vehemently,” adding the House passed the resolution to send its message to the Centre.

    “India is a democratic country and freedom of expression is at the core of its Constitution, but that does not mean a news media can act by abusing such freedom,” said Patel while moving the private-member resolution in the second sitting of the House.

    “If someone behaves or acts like this (BBC), then it cannot be taken lightly. BBC is losing its credibility and seems to be working with some hidden agenda against India and the Indian government. Hence, this House requests the Central government to take strict action against the mind-boggling findings shown in the BBC documentary,” Patel said in the Assembly.

    Through the documentary, there is a deliberate attempt to “tarnish the image and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” with an agenda to affect the country’s intention to find top place globally, Patel said.

    He claimed opposition parties in other countries support the government during such times, but this is not the case in India, which allowed international organisations like the BBC to get the strength to carry out activities against the country.

    The Nanavati-Shah Commission concluded after a thorough investigation the burning of coaches S6 and 7 of Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, 2002, was a premeditated conspiracy, and that the state-wide riots that followed were spontaneous, Patel said.

    The Nanavati-Shah Commission found no evidence the state government, religious organization, or political party played any role in the riots, and attempts to make the then chief minister (Modi) and officials responsible have also failed in the courts, Patel asserted.

    Supporting the resolution, BJP MLA Vakil said the intention of the documentary was to tarnish India’s global image, adding Modi’s life has been a journey of courage and compassion.

    As the chief minister and prime minister, he has become the most popular world leader, she said.

    On the 2002 riots, she said certain NGOs and activists conspired to defame the Gujarat government and wanted to damage Modi’s reputation, adding there was a larger political conspiracy of destabilising the state government by hook or crook.

    Vakil referred to the Supreme Court verdict on the Zakia Jafri case giving clean chit to Modi and claimed the BBC documentary was “mere international propaganda which is totally biased and showcases the colonial mindset”.

    Supporting the resolution, Thaker said Modi is not a question but a solution for various issues plaguing the world today, such as climate change and COVID-19 pandemic, etc.

    The BBC is in the habit of making controversial documentaries on subjects in India, Thaker alleged.

    He also questioned the timing of the documentary by connecting it with the conclusion of Congress ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by Rahul Gandhi.

    Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the documentary was not just against Modi but against 135 crore citizens of the country.

    “The resolution brought by Vipul Patel for strict action is historic. ..Is it Modi’s fault to realise the dream of making Gujarat a riot-free state? Many forces worked to ensure Gujarat does not get a stable government,” Sangahvi said in his speech in the House.

    He said “so-called intellectuals” started hurling one allegation after another on Modi after he took over as the prime minister.

    “As 2024 (Lok Sabha polls) approaches, they (opponents) have no other issue against Modi. They used BBC to make a documentary,” Sanghavi said.

    He also criticised social activist Teesta Setalvad and said “truths regarding her have not been shown in any documentary”.

    Sanghavi also quoted “important people” who have commented and criticised the BBC documentary such as the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, British parliamentarian Bob Blackman, and former BBC head Mark Tully.

    The Gujarat minister compared the BBC documentary to the “toolkit” conspiring against India, adding certain sections of the media suffered from “Modi phobia”.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )