Controversy over BBC documentary "India: The Modi Question"

Tags: National News

The government has condemned theBBC documentary "India: The Modi Question" on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming it a propaganda and an attempt to defame.

An overview of the news

• This documentary on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) questions his leadership as the state's chief minister during theGujarat riots.

• In 2002, violence broke out after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire in Godhra, Gujarat, killing more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims.

• The BBC documentary has been criticised since its release. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also lodged a deep objection to this.

• The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has termed it as a mere propaganda gimmick and a product of colonial mentality.

• A Supreme Court-appointed inquiry found no evidence of any wrongdoing by PM Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat when the riots broke out in February 2002.

What is ‘India: The Modi Question’?

• It is a TV series on 2002 riots in Gujarat which occurred during PM Modi’s time as Chief Minister of the state.

• It is a two-part series broadcast on BBC Two.

• The series explores how "the office of Narendra Modi has been affected by persistent allegations about his government's attitude towards India's Muslim population".