Staff Reporter
India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry has issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and tweets which published the first episode of the BBC Documentary “India: The Modi Question”.
The sources said, orders were also issued to Twitter for blocking of over 50 tweets containing links to the concerned YouTube videos. The directions were reportedly issued by Information and Broadcasting Secretary yesterday using the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021. The sources said that both YouTube and Twitter have complied with the directions.
The documentary produced by BBC was earlier termed by the External Affairs Ministry as a “propaganda piece” that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. While it was not made available in India by BBC, some YouTube channels appear to have uploaded it to promote an anti-India agenda. YouTube has also been instructed to block the video if it is again uploaded on its platform. Twitter has also been directed to identify and block the tweets containing the link to the video on other platforms.
The sources have confirmed that senior officials of multiple Ministries, including External Affairs, Home and Information and Broadcasting, examined the documentary and found it to be an attempt to cast aspersions on the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court, sow divisions among various communities, and make unsubstantiated allegations. The documentary was found to be undermining the sovereignty and integrity of India and having the potential to adversely impact India’s friendly relations with foreign States and public order within the country.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien was among some opposition leaders whose tweet on the documentary was removed by Twitter.
“Censorship. Twitter has taken down my tweet of the BBC documentary. It received lakhs of views. The one-hour BBC documentary exposes how PM hates minorities,” Mr O’Brien alleged.
Derek O’Brien has alleged that a tweet by him on a BBC documentary which he claimed “exposed” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand on minorities has been deleted by Twitter.
Posting a mail from the microblogging site which said his tweet was deleted on the request of the Indian government claiming it violated laws in India, Mr O’Brien termed it as “censorship”.
“CENSORSHIP. Twitter India HAS TAKEN DOWN MY TWEET of the #BBCDocumentary, it received lakhs of views. The 1-hour BBC documentary exposes how PM Narendra Modi HATES MINORITIES,” the TMC leader alleged.