Explained: What is a controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi?

The documentary was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom last week but it quickly generated hype here prompting the Indian government to block it from being aired on Indian platforms.

Hyderabad: On January 17, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) released the first episode of ‘The Modi Question’, a two-part documentary series that tracks Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first steps into politics, including his rise through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to his appointment as Chief Minister of the western State of Gujarat.

The documentary was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom last week but it quickly generated hype here prompting the Indian government to block it from being aired on Indian platforms.

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What is the documentary about?

The 59-minute documentary highlights the 2002 Gujarat riots, one of the worst outbreaks of religious violence in India. It shows how the riots broke out after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Gujarat was set on fire and killed 59 people. The Muslim community was held allegedly responsible for the incident, leading to heightened attacks and the deaths of more than 1,000 Muslims. The outbreak of violence was one of the worst since Independence in 1947.

PM Modi has long rejected accusations that he had any responsibility for the violence. In 2013, a Supreme Court panel also said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.

The documentary reveals a previously unpublished report from the British Foreign Office held Modi “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the violence and said it had “all the hallmarks of an ethnic cleansing”.

In a statement, the broadcaster said: “The documentary series examines the tensions between India’s Hindu majority and Muslim minority and explores the politics of Modi in relation to those tensions.”

It 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”, it added.

Government blocking documentary

Under the emergency powers granted by India’s information and technology law, the government issued orders to YouTube and Twitter demanding that they block any content related to the documentary from being published on their platforms.

Over 50 tweets containing links to the documentary have been taken down, according to the Lumen database. They include tweets by Derek O’Brien, a member of the Indian Parliament, as well as Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan and American actor and political activist John Cusack.