[TAG0][TAG1]
- YouTube and Twitter have blocked links to a BBC documentary in India about Indian PM NarendraModi.
- This documentary examines Modi's involvement in the Gujarat riots of 2002 that resulted in around 1000 deaths.
- A consultant to the Indian government described the documentary as "hostile propaganda" via Twitter.
YouTube and Twitter in India have blocked links and videos from a BBC documentary on Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi.
Two-part documentary "India:The Modi Question" investigates allegations about Modi's involvement with the 2002 riots that occurred in Gujarat, where he was chief minister at the time. The violence that erupted after the assassination of 59 Hindu pilgrims resulted in over 1,000 deaths, mostly Muslims.
Kanchan Gupta is a senior adviser to The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He tweeted Saturday that the ministry had "issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos showing the first episode of this documentary." He said that Twitter was also to be blocked by the ministry, which ordered more than 50 tweets linking to these YT videos.
He tweeted that Modi's ministry was using emergency powers under the IT Rules, which he introduced in 2021. YouTube and Twitter also comply in India.
Modi belongs to the BJP (or Bharatiya Janata Party), which has been India’s ruling party since Modi's election in 2014. Modi has denied any involvement in the violence shown in the documentary.
Gupta criticised the documentary via Twitter, calling it "hostile propagandism" and "anti-India garbage." Gupta accused the BBC with a "colonial mindset" and stated that the documentary was "undermining India's sovereignty and integrity."
Insider was told by a spokesperson for YouTube that the BBC had blocked the video from airing due to a copyright claim.
BBC spokesperson said that it had not asked Twitter to remove content related to the documentary. We issue Takedown Notices for websites and file sharing sites whose content violates the BBC's copyright as a standard practice. This documentary was broadcast in the UK only on BBC Video On-Demand.
According to the spokesperson, the documentary "examines tensions between India’s Hindu majority and Muslim minorities and examines the politics of India’s PM Narendra Modi in relation these tensions."
"The documentary was meticulously researched in accordance with the highest editorial standards. We interviewed many witnesses, experts, and voices. We also featured a variety of opinions, including responses from BJP members. The spokesperson stated that we offered the Indian government the right to respond to the questions raised in the series, but it declined to do so."
Twitter didn't immediately respond to Insider's request.
Two members of Parliament from the opposition party All India Trinamool Congress shared links to the documentary. Derek O'Brien's tweet has been removed. Mahua Moitra shared a link to the video, but it no longer works. She tweeted the link along with the message, "Sorry, Haven’t been elected to be world’s largest democracy to tolerate censorship."
Twitter CEO Elon Musk replied to a tweet asking about The Intercept’s article on removing this documentary. He said that it was the first time he had heard of it.
Musk tweeted, "It is impossible for me to fix all aspects of Twitter worldwide overnight, while still managing Tesla and SpaceX among other things."
Musk called himself "a freedom speech absolutist." However, he clarified that he meant "free speech" in a tweet in April. I oppose censorship that goes beyond the law.
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By: bnguyen@insider.com (Britney Nguyen)
Title: YouTube and Twitter are blocking links and videos sharing a BBC documentary in India about its prime minister
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/youtube-twitter-blocking-bbc-documentary-indian-prime-minister-modi-2023-1
Published Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:55:05 +0000
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