Government mulls action against BBC

NEW DELHI, March 5, 2015 (Agencies) Taking strong exception to the telecast of documentary film “India's Daughter” on the BBC, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said appropriate action will be taken.The MHA, which had on Wednesday contacted the External Affairs Ministry, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the BBC to ensure that the documentary was not published in any form, has now written to the Information Technology Ministry to block it on the Internet.“We had asked to not release the documentary, but the BBC aired it. We will investigate into it and the MHA will take action accordingly....the conditions [for permission to shoot the documentary] have been violated and therefore, action will be taken,” Mr. Singh told the media on Thursday.The documentary was scheduled to be aired on the International Women's Day (March 8), but the BBC released it on Wednesday night.The Delhi Police had earlier registered a case and obtained a court order restraining the parties concerned from releasing the documentary made by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin.According to the MHA, the filmmaker violated the conditions -- which prohibited use of the



documentary for commercial purposes, -- on which the Tihar Jail authorities had allowed her to record the interview of December 16 gang-rape convict Mukesh Singh.Ms Aga, a leading businesswoman and social activist, said banning the documentary was not the answer. "We have to confront the issue that men in India do not respect women and any time there is a rape, blame is put on the woman that she was indecently dressed, she provoked the men," she said.
"It's good this documentary has been made. If any one finds it objectionable, they should change their mindset," said lyricist Javed Akhtar.But Meekashi Lekhi of the BJP said, "The sense of this House is signalling to the government to not let this documentary air.Her party colleague Kirron Kher said, "More important than whether the documentary should be made or not made, what those people said is what we need to concentrate on. Those people haven't learned anything all these years." Earlier, women MPs from Opposition parties, led by Jaya Bachchan of the Samjawadi Party, stormed the well of the House and forced a brief adjournment with demands for action against jail officials for allowing the interview.