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BBC offices in India raided by tax officials amid Modi documentary fallout

6LLvveMx2koXfwn 4y ago
'Following the searches, Gaurav Bhatia, a spokesperson from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), described the BBC as the “most corrupt organisation in the world”.' Which just about sums up the independence of the process.
- londons_explore 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - croes 4y ago
    But "most corrupt organization in the world"? Come on.
  - toyg 4y ago
    This is whataboutism. Mr. Sharp is hated by most of the BBC workforce precisely because he is the corrupt representative of a corrupt government. Whatever influence he might ever have had on editorial decisions has long gone.
    - bawolff 4y ago
      I don't think it is. Whether appointments to the bbc are the results of bribes is material to if the BJP statement is just making things up as implied by the original poster. Whataboutism isn't a catch all term that can be used to get rid of every opposing argument.
      - toyg 4y ago
        Unless they can show a pattern of corruption in BBC appointments, they're just taking a single example to support an otherwise-baseless argument. Sharp is an outlier, brought about by one of the worst ever UK governments in living memory, which is why we know of him and he's under pressure to leave.
        bawolff 4y ago
        Sure its not enough to prove the point, but its relavent to the point.
      - esperent 4y ago
        > Whataboutism isn't a catch all term No, but it certainly applies to this comment and a whole load of other comments in the thread where people are trying to draw false equivalence by pointing out isolated incidents of corruption or police violence in Europe and thereby implying that we shouldn't be looking too harshly on other countries. False/shaky equivalence as a distraction, AKA whataboutism.
        bawolff 4y ago
        > by pointing out isolated incidents of corruption or police violence in Europe and thereby implying that we shouldn't be looking too harshly on other countries I don't think they said this. Certainly if they made this argument it would be whataboutism.
    - berdario 4y ago
      The problem is not only Sharp, the BBC is widely known for being partisan https://www.medialens.org/2019/the-arrogance-of-bbc-news/ https://www.medialens.org/2019/the-arrogance-of-bbc-news/ Of course "most corrupt organization in the world" is hyperbole, and I wouldn't discount this specific investigation on BJP (but I have limited interest in that, since I haven't been to India in years) But blaming others of whataboutism is harmful, since it stifles deserved criticism. Especially because no one here is really defending the Indian government corruption (for now), so it's not even truly whataboutism.
      - toyg 4y ago
        Tories hate the BBC for being a hive of lefties, and slowly strangle its source of funds; Labour hate the BBC for being partisan to Tories, and will loudly shout they're being ignored at every turn. Apart from a handful of highly-visible figures (Dimbleby, Kuenssberg, Neil), who are easily ignored, the truth is somewhat in the middle. Occasionally too much in the middle, like on Brexit, but in the middle nonetheless.
        arp242 4y ago
        The article is a bit long, rambling, and rankly not very well written, but it's definitely not a "Tory complains left-wing bias in BBC"-type of article. Example: "And here we arrive at a truly awesome, structural bias that is barely guessed at by journalists themselves. The fact is that it is simply understood by ‘mainstream’ media at election time that foreign policy – especially our leaders’ high crimes – is somehow unaccountably, inexplicably, irrationally, not an issue the electorate need trouble its pretty little head about. Even after the devastating, illegal 2003 invasion-occupation of Iraq, with the crime still fully underway, foreign policy barely featured as an election issue in 2005. Corbyn was presented, relentlessly, as a moral monster, as a threat to humanity on the basis of miniscule, in fact non-existent, evidence. But Johnson and the Tories, and Corbyn’s Blairite enemies, escaped all scrutiny – for the simple reason that their very real crimes have been declared a non-issue by an awesomely corrupt system of media corporations serving the power of which they are an integral part."
  - _aaed 4y ago
    I don't know why you are being slated for stating facts. Of course the BBC is not the most corrupt organisation in the world but it's far from benevolent.
  - sigg3 4y ago
    Whether someone took a bribe or not is not really as interesting as the genocide they're pretending didn't happen.
  - rhaway84773 4y ago
    This is an irrelevant false equivalence. The leader of the BBC is quite obviously corrupt and placed in his position in a highly corrupt process. Which has absolutely no bearing on the Indian government’s response to what was a fairly ordinary piece of media.
  - a_humean 4y ago
    To claim that this incident justifies calling the BBC the "most corrupt organisation in the world" is laughable. And on this specific case internally within the BBC this man is loathed precisely because it has hurt the reputation of the BBC and he is very likely to resign soon. There is basically zero insitutional support within the BBC for their chair.
  - altacc 4y ago
    Actually it points to the opposite, given the continued press coverage of this (in some media), the lack of confidence in him and the rising likelihood that he will have to resign. In a truly corrupt country everyone knows what happened but there is no repercussion. In the BBC, everyone knows what happened and have zero respect for him and he might have to resign. No system is perfect but the BBC & Modi's government are very, very far apart on the corruption index.
- headsoup 4y ago
  Can't help but feel there's some projection going...
John23832 4y ago
I guess at this point I should believe the points made in the documentary. The reaction to it speaks volumes.
- pell 4y ago
  Absolute Streisand-Effect here.
  - thaumasiotes 4y ago
    Barbra Streisand faces an unclear tradeoff between publicizing the pictures of her home that already exist and encouraging the future taking of unwanted photographs of her home. Modi has much, much, much more reason to fear that tolerating one scandal-raising documentary will lead to further scandal-raising documentaries, and much less reason to believe that ignoring the problem he already has will make it go away. I don't think the Streisand Effect is a good analogy to try to draw here.
    - wkat4242 4y ago
      The Streisand effect isn't about a 1:1 comparison of the two cases. It's just about calling attention to something few people would have noticed by being really heavy-handed in trying to take it down.
      - thaumasiotes 4y ago
        Is a BBC documentary about one of the world's most prominent politicians "something few people would have noticed"?
        wkat4242 4y ago
        Yeah, I'd never heard of it until it was blocked on YouTube. It's totally on the map now.
        4y ago
tough 4y ago
I think I will see this now
- saiya-jin 4y ago
  Exactly, didn't hear about the document but henchmen of mr Modi sure know how to do a good free global PR to some hard truths being told. I love when famous people like politicians reveal their core personality under some stressful situation, that is otherwise well hidden underneath thick layers of PR and masks of politeness. Its always, almost without an exception, a very sad view. Tells you something about what kind of people reach top politics, manage to not only survive among similar folks but thrive. And then people wonder why less and less people vote globally, choosing between 2 rotten apples and/or potato that has seen the winter of 1912 ain't motivating enough to waste much energy.
  - headsoup 4y ago
    And those in the powerful positions feel that the solution is to be harder on the populace, censor them, be less transparent and blame them rather than, I don't know, being more honest and transparent themselves. It's astounding how consistently they follow the same process. Ego is a powerful thing.
rdxm 4y ago
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azalemeth 4y ago
Honestly, a lot of the documentary is a mixture of interviews and CCTV camera footage with a fairly even handed narrative on the top – it, by itself, isn't that shocking and certainly isn't presented in a particularly sensationalist way. I'm amazed by the reaction it has generated. Yes, there's some post-colonial history there and it doesn't look great that it's the BBC that has made it, as opposed to, say, a US or continental European broadcaster. Still, nevertheless, when you see videos of policemen beating up (usually female) students with canes because they've had the audacity to protest, it can't help but make you think. If you're interested, you can get it (legally) in the UK here: [1] and searching for "India: the Modi question" will most likely provide it elsewhere. [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0dkb144/india-the-modi-question-series-1-episode-1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0dkb144/india-the-mod...
- gorbachev 4y ago
  Authoritarian leaders/movements always respond to criticism by attacking the people doing it.
- largepeepee 4y ago
  >policemen beating up (usually female) students with canes because they've had the audacity to protest, it can't help make you think. Tbf, having seen the COVID lockdown footage of how they would beat up even larger businessmen in suits with their canes, I can't say I am surprised. It is quite an insane sight for anyone outside the culture.
  - iamshs 4y ago
    In Punjab, during Covid lockdown Police made people crawl on all fours on national highways for violation of curfew orders. Assaulted people with lathis (cane-charge, another colonial rule legacy). And then newspapers here write every year about infamous "crawling order" passed by Gen. Dyer before the Jallianwala Massacre.
- iamshs 4y ago
  Imagine saying "post-colonial history" about a massacre done by Hindu revivalist movement started and benefited most from the colonial times. This "post-colonial" term has been weaponized by RSS-BJP and plays to their advantage now. Imagine if they can raid BBC offices, what happens to normal press corps.
andrewstuart 4y ago
It’s worth noting that many companies such as Apple are diversifying from China due to the overreach of the political powers, but they’re moving over to India where the same thing is happening. Strange.
- mytailorisrich 4y ago
  They are not diversifying from China because of China. They are because of deteriorating relations with the West that may put them at risk in case of, for instance, sanctions against China.
  - noduerme 4y ago
    The West will have some deteriorating relations with India as well if India decides to start ethnic cleansing or stripping citizenship from 100 million Muslims. Consider how much business we do with Burma (approximately $0), even though the labor is quite cheap there. The BBC documentary is a warning shot. To be clear, this is not about the West taking sides in religious or ethnic issues; there are limits on what kinds of violence people are willing to accept in the supply chain. China is incredibly hard to divorce from, but we're doing it.
    - rhaway84773 4y ago
      The BBC documentary itself is rather benign and brings nothing new to the table other than elevating a UK viewpoint over what many locals have done in the 2 decades in between. If anything, it only displays the BBC’s colonial biases. The response to this run of the mill documentary which likely no one would have watched and/or heard about has been chilling. The Modi government has absolutely embarrassed itself and has basically gone out of its way to prove that whatever the documentary says is correct, whether it is or isn’t. And the doubling down will hurt not just the governments but also the country’s image.
    - eunos 4y ago
      Nope. Even Modi himself was a target of sanction (prevented to visit US). After he became PM, all of sudden western world became his buddy again.
DarthNebo 4y ago
Lol, could have just brushed this aside with a comment instead of outright censoring a globally available media. Like what do they expect, no Indian should ever watch it in India or something but it is fine if outside of India? This is how freedom of speech dies, bit by bit......
- assholeconny 4y ago
  [dead]
- amriksohata 4y ago
  Because it could create communal disharmony and doesn't actually provide any further court admissible evidence.
  - qikInNdOutReply 4y ago
    https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2020/03/falqs-spreading-rumors-and-police-reprimand-under-chinese-law/ https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2020/03/falqs-spreading-rumors-and... Similar too? A law so squishy, it can target anyone and all things.
  - headsoup 4y ago
    "Communal disharmony." A lovely term to justify a good old dose of authoritarianism or censorship, for 'the greater good' (or 'communal harmony' in this case).
    - eunos 4y ago
      It is. Communal disharmony could result in thousands of death and development rolled back massively. See what Lee Kuan Yew said about Sri Lanka.
      - headsoup 4y ago
        Better instead to censor and crush dissent then? If communal harmony is that fragile, it is not communal harmony.
owl_vision 4y ago
The Two India: The Modi Question https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dkb144 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dkb144
- propogandist 4y ago
  This needs to be uploaded on Youtube, Facebook and other mediums where the govt will have to work harder to have it removed.
  - ignoramous 4y ago
    - India blocks the Modi documentary on YouTube, Twitter https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34466986 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34466986 - YouTube is removing dislikes from Modi's video https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24342399 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24342399 - Indian government wants total control of the Internet https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34774823 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34774823
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - briandear 4y ago
    Lol. YouTube and Facebook conspire with governments all the time.
    - dmix 4y ago
      Maybe he's being sarcastic?
  - pessimizer 4y ago
    I hope you realize that by "the government" you're referring to the BBC, who DMCA'd it. It is not hard to DMCA, it is easy.
    - propogandist 4y ago
s_dev 4y ago
Modi should have funded an Indian documentary on the financing of Rishi Sunak and his wife as a way of silencing criticism -- Tories would pull BBC in to line pretty quick then. Seems those with dirty hands are quick to point the finger.
- altacc 4y ago
  Big difference in that Sunak & his wife's wealth is regularly mentioned in the UK, including on BBC programs, and media daily publishes criticism of Sunak and the government he leads, whereas criticism of Modi is suppressed or drowned out by supporters.
  - cubancigar11 4y ago
    That's the job of supporters. They are supporters. What kind of reasoning is this?
    - actionfromafar 4y ago
      The job of supporters, is to suppress other people? Sounds unhealthy.
      - cubancigar11 4y ago
        Huh? The "other people" are "suppressed" by "drowning out" because it is a democracy and they are not in power? Because most people support a government doesn't mean the "other people" are being drowned out by suppression? What a ridiculous and dishonest line of argument you have presented here. Just because you are not a supporter of a democratically elected government doesn't mean you are being drowned out and suppressed. If that were the case you would have disappeared like they do in China. What a hyperbole.
- Lio 4y ago
  I doubt it. A) Sunak can't just "pull the BBC into line" as it's independent of the government. B) The BBC regularly criticises the UK government and even the Royal family. If it could get a scoop on some new corruption it would air it as soon as it could. C) We also have people like Led By Donkeys here who air as much dirt as they can on the government. (We are not short of scandals right now, although few involve genocide). https://www.ledbydonkeys.org/ https://www.ledbydonkeys.org/
jdthedisciple 4y ago
I most likely wouldn't have bothered with the documentary. But oh boy do I wanna see it now - what is it that Modi doesn't want me to see about him? Definite watch for me!
- noduerme 4y ago
  == link redacted, contact me if you want it == My great-grandparents were victims of pogroms and my grandfather's family was killed by the nazis. The BBC doesn't go far enough in explaining why someone who led ethnic massacres isn't fit to lead a country.
  - arp242 4y ago
    Who "led ethnic massacres"? Why did you redact the link? Seems a bit odd for such a specific and strong accusation against some unknown person?
    - noduerme 4y ago
      The link was redacted once I'd allowed about 32 Gb worth of illegal downloads off my private server, elucidating which known person led which ethnic massacres. [edit] please review the context of this thread and/or watch the BBC documentary in question for a deeper understanding of the topic.
      - arp242 4y ago
        I have no idea what you're even on about any more; you're talking in riddles with vague references to this and that, but nowhere is it clear what you actually mean.
- adharmad 4y ago
  The Streisand effect :) I agree - there is nothing in the documentary about Modi and the BJP that has not been hashed out dozens of times before. Its all the more surprise that it is getting suppressed, which will lead to people watching it even more than if it was ignored. The BJP is media savvy, but using the Indian bureaucracy and especially the Tax department to score points is clumsy.
liampulles 4y ago
Nobody expects the Indian tax inspection!
- deleted 4y ago
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assholeconny 4y ago
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Lionga 4y ago
I Germany normal people get raided by a SWAT Team if they write "[Politician X] is a penis" on Twitter[1] and this was just some 3 grade local politician. So I guess this amount of corruption between politicians and police is available to all politicians in germany not just PMs which seems much more fair. [1] https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/nachrichten/23086941_Aufschrei-nach-Hausdurchsuchung-wegen-Pimmel-Tweet-gegen-Politiker.html https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/nachrichten/23086941_Aufschrei...
- deleted 4y ago
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- krisoft 4y ago
  > Germany normal people get raided by a SWAT Team if they write "[Politician X] is a penis" on Twitter Did the BBC publish anything like that? Do the German police raid you if you write “[Politician X] is corrupt”? Don’t get me wrong I prefer to live in a world where anyone can debase themselves by throwing insults at anyone, but I don’t see the paralels with the BBC raid.
  - pessimizer 4y ago
    Do you know the answers to these two questions, or do you think that stating them without answers will make readers assume the answers are both obvious and supportive of the case you're making? > Don’t get me wrong You haven't said anything to be wrong about.
    - krisoft 4y ago
      > or do you think that stating them without answers will make readers assume the answers are both obvious and supportive of the case you're making? Yes? There is no allegation that the BBC called anyone a penis. I don’t have proof that i can cite because how do you proove a negative? I can prove that there are media who called a German politican corrupt.[1] I cannot prove that they haven’t raided them, all I can say is that if they did we haven’t heard about it. > You haven't said anything to be wrong about. And yet you understood me, didn’t you? 1: totally random article calling one german politican corrupt https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-conservative-politician-alfred-sauter-bribery-accusations/amp/ https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-conservative-politic...
tony_antony 4y ago
Readers should note that right now there is a huge wave of cultural-political idea exchange happening in India. Almost all institutions part of this cultural wave and defaming a central figure in that narrative can be bad. It is quite expected something like this as that Documentary came out of nowhere.
bovermyer 4y ago
Is it just me, or are authoritarian regimes on the rise world-wide?
- madaxe_again 4y ago
  Yes. We technologists have made it far easier for them to crack down on dissent than ever before.
  - ignoramous 4y ago
    You'd be surprised by just how many Modi (and right-wing) supporters exist among influential Indians in the Silicon Valley. They're not even subtle about it on Twitter.
    - paganel 4y ago
      I was actually wondering about that yesterday. It seems like the West, and the US more specifically, isn't capable anymore of physically reproducing/replacing its technocratic elites, which in this day and age mostly means its tech elites. Which made me wonder what would happen in case of a direct US vs China war when in some companies 20% to 30% to even 50% of the engineers have some close family connections on the Mainland. Will those engineers and tech people be ok with seeing China losing and their close family back home physically hurting? What would happen if the US starts playing it rough with India? When you've got the CEOs of some of the biggest US tech companies being of Indian descent themselves, not to mention the large percentage of Indian engineers active in the Valley and not only. It was way easier to set up the Manhattan project when many of the people involved had escaped physical annihilation here in Europe (against them and against their close family), but will the US be able to reproduce a future Manhattan project (let's say in AI) using and employing people whose families back home (in China, most probably, in India, as a possibility) would be directly and life-threatening affected by their work? I have my doubts.
      - mikehotel 4y ago
        Many Indians in America or Americans of Indian descent disagree with the rise of fascism in India. Of course many also fall into the default nationalistic mode and become defensive. Actions to take against a ruling party that has widespread support from the police, legislature, judiciary, and media are limited. In India, about 15% of Indians are Christians, Muslims, or other non Hindus. And among Hindus, about 40% are Dalits. The majority of Indians in India are threatened by this rise in fascist actions and rhetoric. And yet, even against all odds, a few people in India stand up for justice. The silence or inaction of the majority should not be criticized too harshly since it is not easy to put everything on the line. But those that do deserve all of humanity’s appreciation. Under Modi, India’s press is not as free anymore - April 2, 2020 - Vindu Goel and Jeffrey Gettleman https://archive.ph/zPhMH https://archive.ph/zPhMH Jailed Indian journalist gets bail almost two years after arrest - September 10, 2022 - Shaikh Azizur Rahman https://archive.ph/5sxUA https://archive.ph/5sxUA Rana Ayyub, journalist and Modi critic, barred from leaving India - March 30, 2022 - Aakash Hassan https://archive.ph/Ibu7S https://archive.ph/Ibu7S
shivz45 4y ago
If Indian media does this documentary, then Adani group will buy that media
- boruto 4y ago
  This is just r/india level comment.
Lio 4y ago
Nothing says guilty like trying to bury the evidence.
- babulal12 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - vertis 4y ago
    Gee I wonder if the Indian judicial system can be trusted when the government is sending the tax department (and other government bodies) after BBC, Oxfam and Amnesty International
Superblazer 4y ago
The only problem I have with this is that free speech is being limited. I don't believe the documentary nor do I belive their government. What if both sides are promoting some sort of a propaganda?
- TheArcane 4y ago
  englightened centrism
- cubancigar11 4y ago
  I like to think the government is just incompetently responding to a useless propaganda piece. But the so called documentary could very well be a well timed attack to benefit the more palatable opposition to the current government that has embarassed the West in not immediately bending over backwards in Ukraine war. Or this ridiculous response from the government could actually be a way to bring the Hindu far-right back into the fold since it is not happy with the current government. (The "fascist government" thing really is propaganda btw.)
amriksohata 4y ago
Not sure why the offices have been raided, corruption in Indian offices are not new, just because they are the BBC does not make its staff immune. The show itself adds nothing new in real evidence that can be taken to court, however there is a serious risk it create communal disharmony. Muslims and Hindus have found peace since the event, Indians see it as stirring the pot just before the 2024 elections.
- headsoup 4y ago
  If Muslims and Hindus have found peace then this would not create disharmony...
  - amriksohata 4y ago
    Because our friends have some nasty people in every community that are still willing to instigate and use this as a tool
    - headsoup 4y ago
      Which means it sounds more like living under tyranny through threat of violence more than harmony.
      - amriksohata 4y ago
        no riots happen everywhere, just look at the UK in 2011, depends on if people have the tools and venom to spread them
- KingOfCoders 4y ago
  I wonder what the Muslims in India think. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_Muslims_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_Muslims_in_In...
  - amriksohata 4y ago
    An equivalent list could be made, just with the numbers of 400k Hindus that were exodus in Kashmir. Thats not the point, the point is the view from India is a British outlet like the BBC is meddling with Indian upcoming elections. There is already decades of suspicion around what the British did to create divides between Hindus and Muslims with partition, so this is treated with high suspicion.
shp0ngle 4y ago
I thought Modi is proud of his role in the riots and his followers know all this anyway?
- TheArcane 4y ago
  he has cultivated an anti-muslim strongman persona - which started largely at the 2002 Gujarat anti-muslim riots
  - throwawaybbc 4y ago
    [flagged]
    - anaganisk 4y ago
      When you make your comment with "their shitty book," I can immediately say you are an uninformed and extremely prejudiced right-wing person. Have you taken a look into how some hindu preachers twist Hindu books? Or have you known of the dark stuff the Hindu religion has? Heck, some places still treat some people as untouchables and dont even allow them around temples. Again, if you are an atheist and say all religious books are shitty I would've even understood that. No, its not their books it always politicians like Modi who base their entire charishma on stifling some community are the problem. Like how VHP and RSS goons tormet lovers on valentines Day or How without any basis in science, some religious fanatics push cows as ultimate savior. Billions of muslims are co-existing worldwide, and no one has problems with them. And if you use extremist action as a metric to judge the entire population, I would say you are bigoted.
  - shp0ngle 4y ago
    yeah I know that, but everyone and his supporters already know that? and he’s almost proud of it bjp is hindutva he should be proud about what the documentary showed… but then I didn’t actually see it
- ignoramous 4y ago
  When in his rule they all but acquit two of the most gruesome perpetrators of the riots on a technicality, you can ask that question I suppose. I won't: https://archive.is/Rs5rr https://archive.is/Rs5rr / https://archive.is/QqqqK https://archive.is/QqqqK
TheArcane 4y ago
Streisand Effect
finkabaadit 4y ago
[flagged]
dharmach 4y ago
Truth is truth and there are so many truths in the world so which truth one decides to explore and when―that is an interesting truth as well.
mrtksn 4y ago
Do India has the issue of "strict laws which are enforced selectively"? Because this reminds me of the traffic light in Grozny, Chechnya that is always red, the people from the regime just ignore it but if someone undesirable doesn't obey the red light(they have no choice, the light is always red) they will face the wrath of the strict traffic code of Chechnya: https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1595456040677556226 https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1595456040677556226 Similar approach was used in Turkey to take over the mainstream media from conglomerates. So they create very stick tax code which would be very hard to follow and the government doesn't care anyway and as a result people violate the code all the time. When these businessmen "misbehave", like one of their news channels goes a bit too hard on the government they send the tax people for an audit and uncover all the irregularities and slap a fine that would definitely bankrupt them and if the businessmen play ball most of the fine gets stripped away and goes back to business as usual. If the government loses faith with their ability to play ball or they think it would be better to take over the business, they move forward with the fine. That's how some of the larges businesses in the country were seized by the government or force-sold to government friendly businesspeople at a nice discount.
- jeswin 4y ago
  > Do India has the issue of "strict laws which are enforced selectively"? Yes, we do.
- hbt 4y ago
  selective law enforcement truly undermines the rule of law and legitimacy of institutions. it turns the rule of law into rule by law: rulers and the ruled it creates a class of people who are not subjected to the law while unleashing "order" on the powerless. it's all hidden behind the curtain and turn a society into nothing more than "might makes right". the vail is lifted whenever the inconsistencies are exposed which is why the system always aims to avoid transparency to maintain its power. instead of rule law, society becomes nothing more than a hierarchy of power with a lot of bullshit decorum unfortunately, it's pervasive across governments, especially less subtle authoritarian governments. I wish nothing more than true rule of law.
  - 4y ago
wkat4242 4y ago
Do they have an actress with a similar history to Barbara Streisand in Bollywood? If not it might be good to explain something :)
rozab 4y ago
The bizarre thing is how balanced the documentary actually is if you watch it. Many senior BJP officials are given plenty of time to defend their case. It focuses on provable events, things which were captured on video or public legal proceedings. If this has received such extreme backlash, I'd hate to see what happens to an actual opinionated news outlet
- mikehotel 4y ago
  Check out what happened to the founders of https://www.altnews.in/ https://www.altnews.in/, a fact checking website. Some would argue they are opinionated but judge for yourself. https://archive.ph/uEqAc https://archive.ph/uEqAc https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_News https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_News
  - webmobdev 4y ago
    And Karan Thapar is now "jobless" (in the sense that no reputed media house is willing to work with him because of pressure from the government) too - - Why Modi Walked Out in 2007 and the BJP Now Shuns Me: https://thewire.in/books/narendra-modi-karan-thapar-interview https://thewire.in/books/narendra-modi-karan-thapar-intervie... - How India's ace journalist was punished for confronting Prime Minister Modi: https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/how-india-s-ace-journalist-was-punished-for-confronting-prime-minister-modi-19584 https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/how-india-s-ace-journalist... Recently, NDTV also saw some high-profile senior editors and journalists exit after Adani (Modi's crony capitalist buddy) bought it.
- arp242 4y ago
  My biggest gripe with the documentary is that it simplifies things too much, and in some cases IMHO even misrepresented things. The way it presents things is, crudely put, "Hindus and Muslims were living happily together in India, and then Modi came along, stoked tensions, and things all went south". While Modi definitely played a part and has much to answer for, things are significantly more complex than that. "Muslims set pilgrims on fire during the Godhra train burning" accusation/assumption – which probably isn't true – didn't come out of thin air, as such things did happen before.[1] One example of what I considered serious misrepresentation is (quote from the documentary) "In June last year, a BJP spokeswoman made comments about the Prophet Muhammad on TV that angered Muslims in India and around the world". Curiously, it doesn't say what the "comments" were, so I looked it up and they were really mild: "I want to ask those with affection for the Prophet that at the age of 53, he married a 6-year-old girl Aisha and then at the age of 56, he consummated that relationship with 9-year-old Aisha ... does such relationship not come under the category of rape?" [2] Which is a long-standing and common criticism, and the ages are generally accepted by Muslim scholars as well. And the "around the world" means the usual religio-fascist countries that are angered whenever someone criticised their religion; you know, the type of people who think that someone getting beheaded for showing a cartoon or stabbed in the eye for writing a book is just a fantastic thing. Yet, the way it's presented in the documentary leaves the impression that she said something vile and horribly Islamophobic. She did no such thing. Yet she was suspended from the BJP, seemingly mostly to placate violent threats from some Muslims. Several people died in the protests over those comments. The person who made the remarks had to have security due to death threats. There's a bunch of things like this where I felt it presented a rather myopic view of things. Not false exactly, but not the full story, either. One could counter by saying that the film was only intended to examine Modi's role, and isn't supposed to be a full examination of the full conflict. But I think one needs to understand at least the basics of the full conflict and context to examine Modi's role in it. Of course, none of this justifies India's response to the film. But I did not like the documentary, and did not consider it all that balanced. Yes, BJP officials were given ample time, but by focusing on only a specific set of events instead of a more complete picture it was quite balanced. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Chamba_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Chamba_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Wandhama_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Wandhama_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Amarnath_pilgrimage_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Amarnath_pilgrimage_massa... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Kishtwar_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Kishtwar_massacre and more [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Muhammad_remarks_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Muhammad_remarks_controve...
throwawaybbc 4y ago
[flagged]
- kspacewalk2 4y ago
  There's, like, far more to the story. I suggest you watch the documentary, even if just to know which Modi actions and quotes you need to focus on obfuscating and distracting from.
  - msla 4y ago
    It's pathetic: This has absolutely nothing to do with America, but they fall all over themselves to inform us AMERICA DO BAD THING.
- hadeylaw 4y ago
  [flagged]
2Gkashmiri 4y ago
You know kids, remember to keep your panic trigger/duress on your phone to get basic security. Feels weird but my last comment was about about things including a few times like this one. A few years ago(2019), WhatsApp and VPNs were outlawed and was a crime so I had my VPN toolkit behind panic apps so when I was searched a few times,once walking down a busy street and second while driving a car (was made to get out), duress password saved me.
erenyeager 4y ago
Not surprising if you know about the actions of this government and the spread of fascist ideology that seeks to recast the history of the Indian subcontinent to favor “Hindu Nationalism”. It is important to keep remembering these crimes, raising awareness, even in the absence of direct action. Many people in this thread sowing doubts about the regime’s hostility towards Muslim minorities and other underprivileged groups in the country. But evidence beats all the gaslighting talk peddled by those who want to cover up the atrocities.
iafiaf 4y ago
There is a sampling bias at play right here in HN with the Modi-bashing comments. Indians, and India, is doing great overall. Modi's leadership has played a big role in this. Indians are (generally) emotionally people, and by no means is it an authoritarian state. In fact, we need wise leaders with vision to manage this population.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- butterNaN 4y ago
  > by no means is it an authoritarian state The linked article would indicate otherwise? I think one's standards of democracy have to be fairly low, to not see that Indian state is at least proto-authoritarian. From what I can see, India is doing pretty badly in most indicators, be it democracy indices, HDI, employment (The usual response to this from Right wing is that these are "western indicators", and the government doesn't have any data). I don't think your nationality matters to witness the sequence of events and come to an objective conclusion.
  - iafiaf 4y ago
    I saw the video the day it came out. Its an OK video, but I question the timing in wake of the upcoming elections and Modi leading the G20. Typically I don't call out "ejection e manipulation" or "external interference", but I'm increasingly starting to suspect the intentions of the BBC (and other media) The metrics you mention are not poor, but our data is poor. Furthermore, numerous research shows HDI and GDP are flawed (but legacy) metrics - this is exasperated by the poor quality data available in a chaotic country like India
    - inglor_cz 4y ago
      "I question the timing in wake of the upcoming elections and Modi leading the G20" So, at which phase of various intersecting elections and global obligations does the sweet criticism window open? (Note that the elections are upcoming in 15 months.) IMHO a PM of the largest nation on Earth should be able to weather criticism night and day. People responsible for 1,5 billion souls cannot claim sanctuary against the press. And if Modi's domestic results are as impressive as other HNers claim, there will be no risk of him losing an election from a BBC documentary that the vast majority of the voting population won't ever see.
drumhead 4y ago
Investigating the tax affairs of the BBC is like probing the sexual history of monks who've taken a vow of celebacy. It only demonstrates the "independance and impartiality" of the Indian Tax authorities.
- butterNaN 4y ago
  It's not even the first of such 'raids'. Pretty much any sizable org that dares to question the BJP has been struck with such raids. Apart from the above, Newslaundry[1] comes to mind. [1]: https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/09/11/newslaundrys-statement-on-income-tax-raid-at-our-office https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/09/11/newslaundrys-statemen...
- frontman1988 4y ago
  Really is the BBC such an uncorrupt entity? A lot of NGOs in India get foreign funding to convert tribals into christianity. Everyone has an agenda. The former colonialists are not holier than thou.
KingOfCoders 4y ago
For people who don't know what this is about, it's about the 2002 riots who some say border on genocide and Modi withhelding the police to stop the riots. "It is estimated that at least 250 girls and women were gang raped and then burned to death. Children were force fed petrol and then set on fire, pregnant women were gutted and then had their unborn child's body shown to them. In the Naroda Patiya mass grave of ninety-six bodies, forty-six were women." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_riots
- ramshanker 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - thoughtpalette 4y ago
    Says /u/ramshanker
Bhilai 4y ago
Government using its tools to silence and pressure the media is a tale as old as any in India. Modi was a persona non grata for many western countries and US would not even give him a visa to enter the country after Gujrat riots. Mostly everyone alive at that time knows about his role in the riots but the fact remains that folks in India are willing to overlook it. Modi has one of the highest approval ratings when compared to other world leaders (amongst their constituents) and so long as people in India dont care, Modi will continue to abuse the Government machinery to silence and discipline dissidents.
mandeepj 4y ago
> so long as people in India dont care Why you say that and how can you? There are a lot of people in and outside India - that hate him with passion. > Modi has one of the highest approval ratings He has a dedicated machinery and apparatus to paint him clean and shiny. Look how he screwed up during Covid and post clean-up act. These tax raids is the "only" tool up his sleeve that he has against his opposers. Would he raid Adani? Nope. Otherwise India and Indians - would not be this ashamed and looted today. He's nothing but a low cost and offshore version of Trump; can't think straight. Listen to any of his speeches; it's all mumbo-jumbo. I can't get my head around it: how he continues to make fool of over a billion people on a daily basis? The greatest conman of all time. When the current generation of teenagers would look back after a decade - they are going to surely say - "Wtf was that era! <facepalm>".
windows_kernel 4y ago
For context, BBC is a propaganda/news platform operated by the same state that colonized India, looted an estimated $45T in wealth, committed genocide on its people, etc. BBC also has a consistent track record of blatant anti-India and anti-Hindu bais. BBC is not above India's laws.
- frontman1988 4y ago
  Agreed the BBC is a propaganda machine of Britain similar to global times of China. Now that India's general elections are coming, they will try their best to slander Modi and the current government. India is right to be cautious of foreign media agencies.
- spacemadness 4y ago
  Are you part of Modi’s psy-ops team?
0xbeefeed 4y ago
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MPlus88 4y ago
The Modi document didn't touch on India's other skeletons, which is even more repulsive. I am not talking about the usual suspects such as the Caste system and oppression of the Dalits and Adivasis.
lappet 4y ago
While this is a major misstep in my opinion, I think there is a major imbalance in reputable media in the world. We need more non-Western sources of media that are respected. People are realizing, as in this case, that Western countries have skeletons in their cupboards too, and will stop respecting Western media establishments. Imagine China sanctioning the US for treating black people with impunity.
- ch4s3 4y ago
  This is an awful take. Western media covers scandals in western governments regularly. You could also always check out Al Jazeera, if you know what their slant is on middle east coverage. Also comparing anything going on in the US for the last 60 years to the genocide happening in Xinjiang is ridiculous on its face.
  - trasz3 4y ago
    >Also comparing anything going on in the US for the last 60 years to the genocide happening in Xinjiang is ridiculous on its face. Indeed - the fact that black people are being killed and incarcerated for their skin colour in USA is well documented, whereas the “genocide” is mostly just a propaganda tool.
    - ch4s3 4y ago
      > Indeed - the fact that black people are being killed and incarcerated for their skin colour in USA is well documented This is a total misreading of the situation. I'm not here to argue that the US has a perfect human rights record, but its an active topic of debate and reform are happening. Moreover, the idea that people are being incarcerated solely for their skin color is not "well documented" and strains credulity as a claim. If the claim is sentencing disparity, then sure there is an issue there, but your claim is wholly false. Xinjiang is a completely different situation. We know factually that millions of people have gone through reeducation camps, the CCP is trying to eradicate the Uyghur language and force Han culture on the Uyghurs. You can see these modern day concentration camps from satellite imagery. There are well documented cases of forced sterilization. There is no legal process for appeals if a Uyghur is arrested, and we know many of the arrests are for religious practice. The world saw what the CCP did in Tibet, and we're seeing an even more grotesque version in Xinjiang.
smashah 4y ago
I think it's also fair to discuss how some of the people who support the BJP and are part of the RSS export their fascist beliefs to places like UK, Canada, USA. These people are actively disturbing decades-long inter-community peace. What I don't understand is if Modi is in power and RSS is given carte blanche, why do these people move abroad and keep hold of their regressive views and hate.
CommanderData 4y ago
I made this comment before on a different thread, it was removed off of YouTube the week of release by request of the Indian Government. A global platform censored for you and I because a completely foreign entity doesn't like it.
boruto 4y ago
What can an individual do when govt begins to act like this. If an international news org gets an IT raid for what it's parent org did. How can normal citizens speak up without fearing retribution.
anon20230214 4y ago
Some of humanities best and brightest are living in India right now. It’s sad that these people aren’t the ones running the country. The country deserves better than the old man who can’t stand before his own press, much of which is obligated to take his side. I hope that India can find somebody young and engaged to run the country when Modi retires. And not Yogi. That’d be much worse.
diedyesterday 4y ago
This reminds me of actions of Putin's mafia regime in Russia. Has India which occasionally prides itself in being a "democracy with the rule of law" fallen to this level! That the government there can do things like this (which also reminds me of Watergate) without serious consequences is not a good thing and a good showing for India.
BBC_Goons 4y ago
BBC raided, pay back for all the "TV license raid" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ3b01MvMJI&list=PL4Qp-WFXp5oHqJti2iZ6lxZLrwBk_7_tg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ3b01MvMJI&list=PL4Qp-WFXp5... Quite a delight to watch Who needs the SS when the BBC is around?
sparin9 4y ago
The documentary ban seems to be symbolic. Students from number of top universities have publicly shown them on their campuses without any state repercussion. Having said that the reaction from govt was indeed exaggerated.
fennecfoxy 4y ago
>In defiance of the ban, students across the country staged screenings of the documentary at universities and several were detained by police. I mean that's telling in itself.
amriksohata 4y ago
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/indian-authorities-accuse-bbc-tax-evasion-after-searches-97284597 https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/indian-authorities...

'Following the searches, Gaurav Bhatia, a spokesperson from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), described the BBC as the “most corrupt organisation in the world”.' Which just about sums up the independence of the process.

londons_explore 4y ago
[flagged]
- croes 4y ago
  But "most corrupt organization in the world"? Come on.
- toyg 4y ago
  This is whataboutism. Mr. Sharp is hated by most of the BBC workforce precisely because he is the corrupt representative of a corrupt government. Whatever influence he might ever have had on editorial decisions has long gone.
  - bawolff 4y ago
    I don't think it is. Whether appointments to the bbc are the results of bribes is material to if the BJP statement is just making things up as implied by the original poster. Whataboutism isn't a catch all term that can be used to get rid of every opposing argument.
    - toyg 4y ago
      Unless they can show a pattern of corruption in BBC appointments, they're just taking a single example to support an otherwise-baseless argument. Sharp is an outlier, brought about by one of the worst ever UK governments in living memory, which is why we know of him and he's under pressure to leave.
      - bawolff 4y ago
        Sure its not enough to prove the point, but its relavent to the point.
    - esperent 4y ago
      > Whataboutism isn't a catch all term No, but it certainly applies to this comment and a whole load of other comments in the thread where people are trying to draw false equivalence by pointing out isolated incidents of corruption or police violence in Europe and thereby implying that we shouldn't be looking too harshly on other countries. False/shaky equivalence as a distraction, AKA whataboutism.
      - bawolff 4y ago
        > by pointing out isolated incidents of corruption or police violence in Europe and thereby implying that we shouldn't be looking too harshly on other countries I don't think they said this. Certainly if they made this argument it would be whataboutism.
  - berdario 4y ago
    The problem is not only Sharp, the BBC is widely known for being partisan https://www.medialens.org/2019/the-arrogance-of-bbc-news/ https://www.medialens.org/2019/the-arrogance-of-bbc-news/ Of course "most corrupt organization in the world" is hyperbole, and I wouldn't discount this specific investigation on BJP (but I have limited interest in that, since I haven't been to India in years) But blaming others of whataboutism is harmful, since it stifles deserved criticism. Especially because no one here is really defending the Indian government corruption (for now), so it's not even truly whataboutism.
    - toyg 4y ago
      Tories hate the BBC for being a hive of lefties, and slowly strangle its source of funds; Labour hate the BBC for being partisan to Tories, and will loudly shout they're being ignored at every turn. Apart from a handful of highly-visible figures (Dimbleby, Kuenssberg, Neil), who are easily ignored, the truth is somewhat in the middle. Occasionally too much in the middle, like on Brexit, but in the middle nonetheless.
      - arp242 4y ago
        The article is a bit long, rambling, and rankly not very well written, but it's definitely not a "Tory complains left-wing bias in BBC"-type of article. Example: "And here we arrive at a truly awesome, structural bias that is barely guessed at by journalists themselves. The fact is that it is simply understood by ‘mainstream’ media at election time that foreign policy – especially our leaders’ high crimes – is somehow unaccountably, inexplicably, irrationally, not an issue the electorate need trouble its pretty little head about. Even after the devastating, illegal 2003 invasion-occupation of Iraq, with the crime still fully underway, foreign policy barely featured as an election issue in 2005. Corbyn was presented, relentlessly, as a moral monster, as a threat to humanity on the basis of miniscule, in fact non-existent, evidence. But Johnson and the Tories, and Corbyn’s Blairite enemies, escaped all scrutiny – for the simple reason that their very real crimes have been declared a non-issue by an awesomely corrupt system of media corporations serving the power of which they are an integral part."
- _aaed 4y ago
  I don't know why you are being slated for stating facts. Of course the BBC is not the most corrupt organisation in the world but it's far from benevolent.
- sigg3 4y ago
  Whether someone took a bribe or not is not really as interesting as the genocide they're pretending didn't happen.
- rhaway84773 4y ago
  This is an irrelevant false equivalence. The leader of the BBC is quite obviously corrupt and placed in his position in a highly corrupt process. Which has absolutely no bearing on the Indian government’s response to what was a fairly ordinary piece of media.
- a_humean 4y ago
  To claim that this incident justifies calling the BBC the "most corrupt organisation in the world" is laughable. And on this specific case internally within the BBC this man is loathed precisely because it has hurt the reputation of the BBC and he is very likely to resign soon. There is basically zero insitutional support within the BBC for their chair.
- altacc 4y ago
  Actually it points to the opposite, given the continued press coverage of this (in some media), the lack of confidence in him and the rising likelihood that he will have to resign. In a truly corrupt country everyone knows what happened but there is no repercussion. In the BBC, everyone knows what happened and have zero respect for him and he might have to resign. No system is perfect but the BBC & Modi's government are very, very far apart on the corruption index.
headsoup 4y ago
Can't help but feel there's some projection going...

John23832 4y ago

I guess at this point I should believe the points made in the documentary. The reaction to it speaks volumes.

pell 4y ago
Absolute Streisand-Effect here.
- thaumasiotes 4y ago
  Barbra Streisand faces an unclear tradeoff between publicizing the pictures of her home that already exist and encouraging the future taking of unwanted photographs of her home. Modi has much, much, much more reason to fear that tolerating one scandal-raising documentary will lead to further scandal-raising documentaries, and much less reason to believe that ignoring the problem he already has will make it go away. I don't think the Streisand Effect is a good analogy to try to draw here.
  - wkat4242 4y ago
    The Streisand effect isn't about a 1:1 comparison of the two cases. It's just about calling attention to something few people would have noticed by being really heavy-handed in trying to take it down.
    - thaumasiotes 4y ago
      Is a BBC documentary about one of the world's most prominent politicians "something few people would have noticed"?
      - wkat4242 4y ago
        Yeah, I'd never heard of it until it was blocked on YouTube. It's totally on the map now.
        4y ago

tough 4y ago

I think I will see this now

saiya-jin 4y ago
Exactly, didn't hear about the document but henchmen of mr Modi sure know how to do a good free global PR to some hard truths being told. I love when famous people like politicians reveal their core personality under some stressful situation, that is otherwise well hidden underneath thick layers of PR and masks of politeness. Its always, almost without an exception, a very sad view. Tells you something about what kind of people reach top politics, manage to not only survive among similar folks but thrive. And then people wonder why less and less people vote globally, choosing between 2 rotten apples and/or potato that has seen the winter of 1912 ain't motivating enough to waste much energy.
- headsoup 4y ago
  And those in the powerful positions feel that the solution is to be harder on the populace, censor them, be less transparent and blame them rather than, I don't know, being more honest and transparent themselves. It's astounding how consistently they follow the same process. Ego is a powerful thing.

rdxm 4y ago

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azalemeth 4y ago

Honestly, a lot of the documentary is a mixture of interviews and CCTV camera footage with a fairly even handed narrative on the top – it, by itself, isn't that shocking and certainly isn't presented in a particularly sensationalist way. I'm amazed by the reaction it has generated. Yes, there's some post-colonial history there and it doesn't look great that it's the BBC that has made it, as opposed to, say, a US or continental European broadcaster. Still, nevertheless, when you see videos of policemen beating up (usually female) students with canes because they've had the audacity to protest, it can't help but make you think. If you're interested, you can get it (legally) in the UK here: [1] and searching for "India: the Modi question" will most likely provide it elsewhere. [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0dkb144/india-the-modi-question-series-1-episode-1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0dkb144/india-the-mod...

gorbachev 4y ago
Authoritarian leaders/movements always respond to criticism by attacking the people doing it.
largepeepee 4y ago
>policemen beating up (usually female) students with canes because they've had the audacity to protest, it can't help make you think. Tbf, having seen the COVID lockdown footage of how they would beat up even larger businessmen in suits with their canes, I can't say I am surprised. It is quite an insane sight for anyone outside the culture.
- iamshs 4y ago
  In Punjab, during Covid lockdown Police made people crawl on all fours on national highways for violation of curfew orders. Assaulted people with lathis (cane-charge, another colonial rule legacy). And then newspapers here write every year about infamous "crawling order" passed by Gen. Dyer before the Jallianwala Massacre.
iamshs 4y ago
Imagine saying "post-colonial history" about a massacre done by Hindu revivalist movement started and benefited most from the colonial times. This "post-colonial" term has been weaponized by RSS-BJP and plays to their advantage now. Imagine if they can raid BBC offices, what happens to normal press corps.

andrewstuart 4y ago

It’s worth noting that many companies such as Apple are diversifying from China due to the overreach of the political powers, but they’re moving over to India where the same thing is happening. Strange.

mytailorisrich 4y ago
They are not diversifying from China because of China. They are because of deteriorating relations with the West that may put them at risk in case of, for instance, sanctions against China.
- noduerme 4y ago
  The West will have some deteriorating relations with India as well if India decides to start ethnic cleansing or stripping citizenship from 100 million Muslims. Consider how much business we do with Burma (approximately $0), even though the labor is quite cheap there. The BBC documentary is a warning shot. To be clear, this is not about the West taking sides in religious or ethnic issues; there are limits on what kinds of violence people are willing to accept in the supply chain. China is incredibly hard to divorce from, but we're doing it.
  - rhaway84773 4y ago
    The BBC documentary itself is rather benign and brings nothing new to the table other than elevating a UK viewpoint over what many locals have done in the 2 decades in between. If anything, it only displays the BBC’s colonial biases. The response to this run of the mill documentary which likely no one would have watched and/or heard about has been chilling. The Modi government has absolutely embarrassed itself and has basically gone out of its way to prove that whatever the documentary says is correct, whether it is or isn’t. And the doubling down will hurt not just the governments but also the country’s image.
  - eunos 4y ago
    Nope. Even Modi himself was a target of sanction (prevented to visit US). After he became PM, all of sudden western world became his buddy again.

DarthNebo 4y ago

Lol, could have just brushed this aside with a comment instead of outright censoring a globally available media. Like what do they expect, no Indian should ever watch it in India or something but it is fine if outside of India? This is how freedom of speech dies, bit by bit......

assholeconny 4y ago
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amriksohata 4y ago
Because it could create communal disharmony and doesn't actually provide any further court admissible evidence.
- qikInNdOutReply 4y ago
  https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2020/03/falqs-spreading-rumors-and-police-reprimand-under-chinese-law/ https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2020/03/falqs-spreading-rumors-and... Similar too? A law so squishy, it can target anyone and all things.
- headsoup 4y ago
  "Communal disharmony." A lovely term to justify a good old dose of authoritarianism or censorship, for 'the greater good' (or 'communal harmony' in this case).
  - eunos 4y ago
    It is. Communal disharmony could result in thousands of death and development rolled back massively. See what Lee Kuan Yew said about Sri Lanka.
    - headsoup 4y ago
      Better instead to censor and crush dissent then? If communal harmony is that fragile, it is not communal harmony.

owl_vision 4y ago

The Two India: The Modi Question https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dkb144 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dkb144

propogandist 4y ago
This needs to be uploaded on Youtube, Facebook and other mediums where the govt will have to work harder to have it removed.
- ignoramous 4y ago
  - India blocks the Modi documentary on YouTube, Twitter https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34466986 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34466986 - YouTube is removing dislikes from Modi's video https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24342399 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24342399 - Indian government wants total control of the Internet https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34774823 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34774823
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- briandear 4y ago
  Lol. YouTube and Facebook conspire with governments all the time.
  - dmix 4y ago
    Maybe he's being sarcastic?
- pessimizer 4y ago
  I hope you realize that by "the government" you're referring to the BBC, who DMCA'd it. It is not hard to DMCA, it is easy.
  - propogandist 4y ago

s_dev 4y ago

Modi should have funded an Indian documentary on the financing of Rishi Sunak and his wife as a way of silencing criticism -- Tories would pull BBC in to line pretty quick then. Seems those with dirty hands are quick to point the finger.

altacc 4y ago
Big difference in that Sunak & his wife's wealth is regularly mentioned in the UK, including on BBC programs, and media daily publishes criticism of Sunak and the government he leads, whereas criticism of Modi is suppressed or drowned out by supporters.
- cubancigar11 4y ago
  That's the job of supporters. They are supporters. What kind of reasoning is this?
  - actionfromafar 4y ago
    The job of supporters, is to suppress other people? Sounds unhealthy.
    - cubancigar11 4y ago
      Huh? The "other people" are "suppressed" by "drowning out" because it is a democracy and they are not in power? Because most people support a government doesn't mean the "other people" are being drowned out by suppression? What a ridiculous and dishonest line of argument you have presented here. Just because you are not a supporter of a democratically elected government doesn't mean you are being drowned out and suppressed. If that were the case you would have disappeared like they do in China. What a hyperbole.
Lio 4y ago
I doubt it. A) Sunak can't just "pull the BBC into line" as it's independent of the government. B) The BBC regularly criticises the UK government and even the Royal family. If it could get a scoop on some new corruption it would air it as soon as it could. C) We also have people like Led By Donkeys here who air as much dirt as they can on the government. (We are not short of scandals right now, although few involve genocide). https://www.ledbydonkeys.org/ https://www.ledbydonkeys.org/

jdthedisciple 4y ago

I most likely wouldn't have bothered with the documentary. But oh boy do I wanna see it now - what is it that Modi doesn't want me to see about him? Definite watch for me!

noduerme 4y ago
== link redacted, contact me if you want it == My great-grandparents were victims of pogroms and my grandfather's family was killed by the nazis. The BBC doesn't go far enough in explaining why someone who led ethnic massacres isn't fit to lead a country.
- arp242 4y ago
  Who "led ethnic massacres"? Why did you redact the link? Seems a bit odd for such a specific and strong accusation against some unknown person?
  - noduerme 4y ago
    The link was redacted once I'd allowed about 32 Gb worth of illegal downloads off my private server, elucidating which known person led which ethnic massacres. [edit] please review the context of this thread and/or watch the BBC documentary in question for a deeper understanding of the topic.
    - arp242 4y ago
      I have no idea what you're even on about any more; you're talking in riddles with vague references to this and that, but nowhere is it clear what you actually mean.
adharmad 4y ago
The Streisand effect :) I agree - there is nothing in the documentary about Modi and the BJP that has not been hashed out dozens of times before. Its all the more surprise that it is getting suppressed, which will lead to people watching it even more than if it was ignored. The BJP is media savvy, but using the Indian bureaucracy and especially the Tax department to score points is clumsy.

liampulles 4y ago

Nobody expects the Indian tax inspection!

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

assholeconny 4y ago

[dead]

Lionga 4y ago

I Germany normal people get raided by a SWAT Team if they write "[Politician X] is a penis" on Twitter[1] and this was just some 3 grade local politician. So I guess this amount of corruption between politicians and police is available to all politicians in germany not just PMs which seems much more fair. [1] https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/nachrichten/23086941_Aufschrei-nach-Hausdurchsuchung-wegen-Pimmel-Tweet-gegen-Politiker.html https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/nachrichten/23086941_Aufschrei...

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
krisoft 4y ago
> Germany normal people get raided by a SWAT Team if they write "[Politician X] is a penis" on Twitter Did the BBC publish anything like that? Do the German police raid you if you write “[Politician X] is corrupt”? Don’t get me wrong I prefer to live in a world where anyone can debase themselves by throwing insults at anyone, but I don’t see the paralels with the BBC raid.
- pessimizer 4y ago
  Do you know the answers to these two questions, or do you think that stating them without answers will make readers assume the answers are both obvious and supportive of the case you're making? > Don’t get me wrong You haven't said anything to be wrong about.
  - krisoft 4y ago
    > or do you think that stating them without answers will make readers assume the answers are both obvious and supportive of the case you're making? Yes? There is no allegation that the BBC called anyone a penis. I don’t have proof that i can cite because how do you proove a negative? I can prove that there are media who called a German politican corrupt.[1] I cannot prove that they haven’t raided them, all I can say is that if they did we haven’t heard about it. > You haven't said anything to be wrong about. And yet you understood me, didn’t you? 1: totally random article calling one german politican corrupt https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-conservative-politician-alfred-sauter-bribery-accusations/amp/ https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-conservative-politic...

tony_antony 4y ago

Readers should note that right now there is a huge wave of cultural-political idea exchange happening in India. Almost all institutions part of this cultural wave and defaming a central figure in that narrative can be bad. It is quite expected something like this as that Documentary came out of nowhere.

bovermyer 4y ago

Is it just me, or are authoritarian regimes on the rise world-wide?

madaxe_again 4y ago
Yes. We technologists have made it far easier for them to crack down on dissent than ever before.
- ignoramous 4y ago
  You'd be surprised by just how many Modi (and right-wing) supporters exist among influential Indians in the Silicon Valley. They're not even subtle about it on Twitter.
  - paganel 4y ago
    I was actually wondering about that yesterday. It seems like the West, and the US more specifically, isn't capable anymore of physically reproducing/replacing its technocratic elites, which in this day and age mostly means its tech elites. Which made me wonder what would happen in case of a direct US vs China war when in some companies 20% to 30% to even 50% of the engineers have some close family connections on the Mainland. Will those engineers and tech people be ok with seeing China losing and their close family back home physically hurting? What would happen if the US starts playing it rough with India? When you've got the CEOs of some of the biggest US tech companies being of Indian descent themselves, not to mention the large percentage of Indian engineers active in the Valley and not only. It was way easier to set up the Manhattan project when many of the people involved had escaped physical annihilation here in Europe (against them and against their close family), but will the US be able to reproduce a future Manhattan project (let's say in AI) using and employing people whose families back home (in China, most probably, in India, as a possibility) would be directly and life-threatening affected by their work? I have my doubts.
    - mikehotel 4y ago
      Many Indians in America or Americans of Indian descent disagree with the rise of fascism in India. Of course many also fall into the default nationalistic mode and become defensive. Actions to take against a ruling party that has widespread support from the police, legislature, judiciary, and media are limited. In India, about 15% of Indians are Christians, Muslims, or other non Hindus. And among Hindus, about 40% are Dalits. The majority of Indians in India are threatened by this rise in fascist actions and rhetoric. And yet, even against all odds, a few people in India stand up for justice. The silence or inaction of the majority should not be criticized too harshly since it is not easy to put everything on the line. But those that do deserve all of humanity’s appreciation. Under Modi, India’s press is not as free anymore - April 2, 2020 - Vindu Goel and Jeffrey Gettleman https://archive.ph/zPhMH https://archive.ph/zPhMH Jailed Indian journalist gets bail almost two years after arrest - September 10, 2022 - Shaikh Azizur Rahman https://archive.ph/5sxUA https://archive.ph/5sxUA Rana Ayyub, journalist and Modi critic, barred from leaving India - March 30, 2022 - Aakash Hassan https://archive.ph/Ibu7S https://archive.ph/Ibu7S

shivz45 4y ago

If Indian media does this documentary, then Adani group will buy that media

boruto 4y ago
This is just r/india level comment.

Lio 4y ago

Nothing says guilty like trying to bury the evidence.

babulal12 4y ago
[flagged]
- vertis 4y ago
  Gee I wonder if the Indian judicial system can be trusted when the government is sending the tax department (and other government bodies) after BBC, Oxfam and Amnesty International

Superblazer 4y ago

The only problem I have with this is that free speech is being limited. I don't believe the documentary nor do I belive their government. What if both sides are promoting some sort of a propaganda?

TheArcane 4y ago
englightened centrism
cubancigar11 4y ago
I like to think the government is just incompetently responding to a useless propaganda piece. But the so called documentary could very well be a well timed attack to benefit the more palatable opposition to the current government that has embarassed the West in not immediately bending over backwards in Ukraine war. Or this ridiculous response from the government could actually be a way to bring the Hindu far-right back into the fold since it is not happy with the current government. (The "fascist government" thing really is propaganda btw.)

amriksohata 4y ago

Not sure why the offices have been raided, corruption in Indian offices are not new, just because they are the BBC does not make its staff immune. The show itself adds nothing new in real evidence that can be taken to court, however there is a serious risk it create communal disharmony. Muslims and Hindus have found peace since the event, Indians see it as stirring the pot just before the 2024 elections.

headsoup 4y ago
If Muslims and Hindus have found peace then this would not create disharmony...
- amriksohata 4y ago
  Because our friends have some nasty people in every community that are still willing to instigate and use this as a tool
  - headsoup 4y ago
    Which means it sounds more like living under tyranny through threat of violence more than harmony.
    - amriksohata 4y ago
      no riots happen everywhere, just look at the UK in 2011, depends on if people have the tools and venom to spread them
KingOfCoders 4y ago
I wonder what the Muslims in India think. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_Muslims_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_Muslims_in_In...
- amriksohata 4y ago
  An equivalent list could be made, just with the numbers of 400k Hindus that were exodus in Kashmir. Thats not the point, the point is the view from India is a British outlet like the BBC is meddling with Indian upcoming elections. There is already decades of suspicion around what the British did to create divides between Hindus and Muslims with partition, so this is treated with high suspicion.

shp0ngle 4y ago

I thought Modi is proud of his role in the riots and his followers know all this anyway?

TheArcane 4y ago
he has cultivated an anti-muslim strongman persona - which started largely at the 2002 Gujarat anti-muslim riots
- throwawaybbc 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - anaganisk 4y ago
    When you make your comment with "their shitty book," I can immediately say you are an uninformed and extremely prejudiced right-wing person. Have you taken a look into how some hindu preachers twist Hindu books? Or have you known of the dark stuff the Hindu religion has? Heck, some places still treat some people as untouchables and dont even allow them around temples. Again, if you are an atheist and say all religious books are shitty I would've even understood that. No, its not their books it always politicians like Modi who base their entire charishma on stifling some community are the problem. Like how VHP and RSS goons tormet lovers on valentines Day or How without any basis in science, some religious fanatics push cows as ultimate savior. Billions of muslims are co-existing worldwide, and no one has problems with them. And if you use extremist action as a metric to judge the entire population, I would say you are bigoted.
- shp0ngle 4y ago
  yeah I know that, but everyone and his supporters already know that? and he’s almost proud of it bjp is hindutva he should be proud about what the documentary showed… but then I didn’t actually see it
ignoramous 4y ago
When in his rule they all but acquit two of the most gruesome perpetrators of the riots on a technicality, you can ask that question I suppose. I won't: https://archive.is/Rs5rr https://archive.is/Rs5rr / https://archive.is/QqqqK https://archive.is/QqqqK

TheArcane 4y ago

Streisand Effect

finkabaadit 4y ago

[flagged]

dharmach 4y ago

Truth is truth and there are so many truths in the world so which truth one decides to explore and when―that is an interesting truth as well.

mrtksn 4y ago

Do India has the issue of "strict laws which are enforced selectively"? Because this reminds me of the traffic light in Grozny, Chechnya that is always red, the people from the regime just ignore it but if someone undesirable doesn't obey the red light(they have no choice, the light is always red) they will face the wrath of the strict traffic code of Chechnya: https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1595456040677556226 https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1595456040677556226 Similar approach was used in Turkey to take over the mainstream media from conglomerates. So they create very stick tax code which would be very hard to follow and the government doesn't care anyway and as a result people violate the code all the time. When these businessmen "misbehave", like one of their news channels goes a bit too hard on the government they send the tax people for an audit and uncover all the irregularities and slap a fine that would definitely bankrupt them and if the businessmen play ball most of the fine gets stripped away and goes back to business as usual. If the government loses faith with their ability to play ball or they think it would be better to take over the business, they move forward with the fine. That's how some of the larges businesses in the country were seized by the government or force-sold to government friendly businesspeople at a nice discount.

jeswin 4y ago
> Do India has the issue of "strict laws which are enforced selectively"? Yes, we do.
hbt 4y ago
selective law enforcement truly undermines the rule of law and legitimacy of institutions. it turns the rule of law into rule by law: rulers and the ruled it creates a class of people who are not subjected to the law while unleashing "order" on the powerless. it's all hidden behind the curtain and turn a society into nothing more than "might makes right". the vail is lifted whenever the inconsistencies are exposed which is why the system always aims to avoid transparency to maintain its power. instead of rule law, society becomes nothing more than a hierarchy of power with a lot of bullshit decorum unfortunately, it's pervasive across governments, especially less subtle authoritarian governments. I wish nothing more than true rule of law.
- 4y ago

wkat4242 4y ago

Do they have an actress with a similar history to Barbara Streisand in Bollywood? If not it might be good to explain something :)

rozab 4y ago

The bizarre thing is how balanced the documentary actually is if you watch it. Many senior BJP officials are given plenty of time to defend their case. It focuses on provable events, things which were captured on video or public legal proceedings. If this has received such extreme backlash, I'd hate to see what happens to an actual opinionated news outlet

mikehotel 4y ago
Check out what happened to the founders of https://www.altnews.in/ https://www.altnews.in/, a fact checking website. Some would argue they are opinionated but judge for yourself. https://archive.ph/uEqAc https://archive.ph/uEqAc https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_News https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_News
- webmobdev 4y ago
  And Karan Thapar is now "jobless" (in the sense that no reputed media house is willing to work with him because of pressure from the government) too - - Why Modi Walked Out in 2007 and the BJP Now Shuns Me: https://thewire.in/books/narendra-modi-karan-thapar-interview https://thewire.in/books/narendra-modi-karan-thapar-intervie... - How India's ace journalist was punished for confronting Prime Minister Modi: https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/how-india-s-ace-journalist-was-punished-for-confronting-prime-minister-modi-19584 https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/how-india-s-ace-journalist... Recently, NDTV also saw some high-profile senior editors and journalists exit after Adani (Modi's crony capitalist buddy) bought it.
arp242 4y ago
My biggest gripe with the documentary is that it simplifies things too much, and in some cases IMHO even misrepresented things. The way it presents things is, crudely put, "Hindus and Muslims were living happily together in India, and then Modi came along, stoked tensions, and things all went south". While Modi definitely played a part and has much to answer for, things are significantly more complex than that. "Muslims set pilgrims on fire during the Godhra train burning" accusation/assumption – which probably isn't true – didn't come out of thin air, as such things did happen before.[1] One example of what I considered serious misrepresentation is (quote from the documentary) "In June last year, a BJP spokeswoman made comments about the Prophet Muhammad on TV that angered Muslims in India and around the world". Curiously, it doesn't say what the "comments" were, so I looked it up and they were really mild: "I want to ask those with affection for the Prophet that at the age of 53, he married a 6-year-old girl Aisha and then at the age of 56, he consummated that relationship with 9-year-old Aisha ... does such relationship not come under the category of rape?" [2] Which is a long-standing and common criticism, and the ages are generally accepted by Muslim scholars as well. And the "around the world" means the usual religio-fascist countries that are angered whenever someone criticised their religion; you know, the type of people who think that someone getting beheaded for showing a cartoon or stabbed in the eye for writing a book is just a fantastic thing. Yet, the way it's presented in the documentary leaves the impression that she said something vile and horribly Islamophobic. She did no such thing. Yet she was suspended from the BJP, seemingly mostly to placate violent threats from some Muslims. Several people died in the protests over those comments. The person who made the remarks had to have security due to death threats. There's a bunch of things like this where I felt it presented a rather myopic view of things. Not false exactly, but not the full story, either. One could counter by saying that the film was only intended to examine Modi's role, and isn't supposed to be a full examination of the full conflict. But I think one needs to understand at least the basics of the full conflict and context to examine Modi's role in it. Of course, none of this justifies India's response to the film. But I did not like the documentary, and did not consider it all that balanced. Yes, BJP officials were given ample time, but by focusing on only a specific set of events instead of a more complete picture it was quite balanced. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Chamba_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Chamba_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Wandhama_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Wandhama_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Amarnath_pilgrimage_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Amarnath_pilgrimage_massa... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Kishtwar_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Kishtwar_massacre and more [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Muhammad_remarks_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Muhammad_remarks_controve...

throwawaybbc 4y ago

[flagged]

kspacewalk2 4y ago
There's, like, far more to the story. I suggest you watch the documentary, even if just to know which Modi actions and quotes you need to focus on obfuscating and distracting from.
- msla 4y ago
  It's pathetic: This has absolutely nothing to do with America, but they fall all over themselves to inform us AMERICA DO BAD THING.
hadeylaw 4y ago
[flagged]

2Gkashmiri 4y ago

You know kids, remember to keep your panic trigger/duress on your phone to get basic security. Feels weird but my last comment was about about things including a few times like this one. A few years ago(2019), WhatsApp and VPNs were outlawed and was a crime so I had my VPN toolkit behind panic apps so when I was searched a few times,once walking down a busy street and second while driving a car (was made to get out), duress password saved me.

erenyeager 4y ago

Not surprising if you know about the actions of this government and the spread of fascist ideology that seeks to recast the history of the Indian subcontinent to favor “Hindu Nationalism”. It is important to keep remembering these crimes, raising awareness, even in the absence of direct action. Many people in this thread sowing doubts about the regime’s hostility towards Muslim minorities and other underprivileged groups in the country. But evidence beats all the gaslighting talk peddled by those who want to cover up the atrocities.

iafiaf 4y ago

There is a sampling bias at play right here in HN with the Modi-bashing comments. Indians, and India, is doing great overall. Modi's leadership has played a big role in this. Indians are (generally) emotionally people, and by no means is it an authoritarian state. In fact, we need wise leaders with vision to manage this population.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
butterNaN 4y ago
> by no means is it an authoritarian state The linked article would indicate otherwise? I think one's standards of democracy have to be fairly low, to not see that Indian state is at least proto-authoritarian. From what I can see, India is doing pretty badly in most indicators, be it democracy indices, HDI, employment (The usual response to this from Right wing is that these are "western indicators", and the government doesn't have any data). I don't think your nationality matters to witness the sequence of events and come to an objective conclusion.
- iafiaf 4y ago
  I saw the video the day it came out. Its an OK video, but I question the timing in wake of the upcoming elections and Modi leading the G20. Typically I don't call out "ejection e manipulation" or "external interference", but I'm increasingly starting to suspect the intentions of the BBC (and other media) The metrics you mention are not poor, but our data is poor. Furthermore, numerous research shows HDI and GDP are flawed (but legacy) metrics - this is exasperated by the poor quality data available in a chaotic country like India
  - inglor_cz 4y ago
    "I question the timing in wake of the upcoming elections and Modi leading the G20" So, at which phase of various intersecting elections and global obligations does the sweet criticism window open? (Note that the elections are upcoming in 15 months.) IMHO a PM of the largest nation on Earth should be able to weather criticism night and day. People responsible for 1,5 billion souls cannot claim sanctuary against the press. And if Modi's domestic results are as impressive as other HNers claim, there will be no risk of him losing an election from a BBC documentary that the vast majority of the voting population won't ever see.

drumhead 4y ago

Investigating the tax affairs of the BBC is like probing the sexual history of monks who've taken a vow of celebacy. It only demonstrates the "independance and impartiality" of the Indian Tax authorities.

butterNaN 4y ago
It's not even the first of such 'raids'. Pretty much any sizable org that dares to question the BJP has been struck with such raids. Apart from the above, Newslaundry[1] comes to mind. [1]: https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/09/11/newslaundrys-statement-on-income-tax-raid-at-our-office https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/09/11/newslaundrys-statemen...
frontman1988 4y ago
Really is the BBC such an uncorrupt entity? A lot of NGOs in India get foreign funding to convert tribals into christianity. Everyone has an agenda. The former colonialists are not holier than thou.

KingOfCoders 4y ago

For people who don't know what this is about, it's about the 2002 riots who some say border on genocide and Modi withhelding the police to stop the riots. "It is estimated that at least 250 girls and women were gang raped and then burned to death. Children were force fed petrol and then set on fire, pregnant women were gutted and then had their unborn child's body shown to them. In the Naroda Patiya mass grave of ninety-six bodies, forty-six were women." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_riots

ramshanker 4y ago
[flagged]
- thoughtpalette 4y ago
  Says /u/ramshanker

Bhilai 4y ago

Government using its tools to silence and pressure the media is a tale as old as any in India. Modi was a persona non grata for many western countries and US would not even give him a visa to enter the country after Gujrat riots. Mostly everyone alive at that time knows about his role in the riots but the fact remains that folks in India are willing to overlook it. Modi has one of the highest approval ratings when compared to other world leaders (amongst their constituents) and so long as people in India dont care, Modi will continue to abuse the Government machinery to silence and discipline dissidents.

mandeepj 4y ago

> so long as people in India dont care Why you say that and how can you? There are a lot of people in and outside India - that hate him with passion. > Modi has one of the highest approval ratings He has a dedicated machinery and apparatus to paint him clean and shiny. Look how he screwed up during Covid and post clean-up act. These tax raids is the "only" tool up his sleeve that he has against his opposers. Would he raid Adani? Nope. Otherwise India and Indians - would not be this ashamed and looted today. He's nothing but a low cost and offshore version of Trump; can't think straight. Listen to any of his speeches; it's all mumbo-jumbo. I can't get my head around it: how he continues to make fool of over a billion people on a daily basis? The greatest conman of all time. When the current generation of teenagers would look back after a decade - they are going to surely say - "Wtf was that era! <facepalm>".

windows_kernel 4y ago

For context, BBC is a propaganda/news platform operated by the same state that colonized India, looted an estimated $45T in wealth, committed genocide on its people, etc. BBC also has a consistent track record of blatant anti-India and anti-Hindu bais. BBC is not above India's laws.

frontman1988 4y ago
Agreed the BBC is a propaganda machine of Britain similar to global times of China. Now that India's general elections are coming, they will try their best to slander Modi and the current government. India is right to be cautious of foreign media agencies.
spacemadness 4y ago
Are you part of Modi’s psy-ops team?

0xbeefeed 4y ago

[dead]

MPlus88 4y ago

The Modi document didn't touch on India's other skeletons, which is even more repulsive. I am not talking about the usual suspects such as the Caste system and oppression of the Dalits and Adivasis.

lappet 4y ago

While this is a major misstep in my opinion, I think there is a major imbalance in reputable media in the world. We need more non-Western sources of media that are respected. People are realizing, as in this case, that Western countries have skeletons in their cupboards too, and will stop respecting Western media establishments. Imagine China sanctioning the US for treating black people with impunity.

ch4s3 4y ago
This is an awful take. Western media covers scandals in western governments regularly. You could also always check out Al Jazeera, if you know what their slant is on middle east coverage. Also comparing anything going on in the US for the last 60 years to the genocide happening in Xinjiang is ridiculous on its face.
- trasz3 4y ago
  >Also comparing anything going on in the US for the last 60 years to the genocide happening in Xinjiang is ridiculous on its face. Indeed - the fact that black people are being killed and incarcerated for their skin colour in USA is well documented, whereas the “genocide” is mostly just a propaganda tool.
  - ch4s3 4y ago
    > Indeed - the fact that black people are being killed and incarcerated for their skin colour in USA is well documented This is a total misreading of the situation. I'm not here to argue that the US has a perfect human rights record, but its an active topic of debate and reform are happening. Moreover, the idea that people are being incarcerated solely for their skin color is not "well documented" and strains credulity as a claim. If the claim is sentencing disparity, then sure there is an issue there, but your claim is wholly false. Xinjiang is a completely different situation. We know factually that millions of people have gone through reeducation camps, the CCP is trying to eradicate the Uyghur language and force Han culture on the Uyghurs. You can see these modern day concentration camps from satellite imagery. There are well documented cases of forced sterilization. There is no legal process for appeals if a Uyghur is arrested, and we know many of the arrests are for religious practice. The world saw what the CCP did in Tibet, and we're seeing an even more grotesque version in Xinjiang.

smashah 4y ago

I think it's also fair to discuss how some of the people who support the BJP and are part of the RSS export their fascist beliefs to places like UK, Canada, USA. These people are actively disturbing decades-long inter-community peace. What I don't understand is if Modi is in power and RSS is given carte blanche, why do these people move abroad and keep hold of their regressive views and hate.

CommanderData 4y ago

I made this comment before on a different thread, it was removed off of YouTube the week of release by request of the Indian Government. A global platform censored for you and I because a completely foreign entity doesn't like it.

boruto 4y ago

What can an individual do when govt begins to act like this. If an international news org gets an IT raid for what it's parent org did. How can normal citizens speak up without fearing retribution.

anon20230214 4y ago

Some of humanities best and brightest are living in India right now. It’s sad that these people aren’t the ones running the country. The country deserves better than the old man who can’t stand before his own press, much of which is obligated to take his side. I hope that India can find somebody young and engaged to run the country when Modi retires. And not Yogi. That’d be much worse.

diedyesterday 4y ago

This reminds me of actions of Putin's mafia regime in Russia. Has India which occasionally prides itself in being a "democracy with the rule of law" fallen to this level! That the government there can do things like this (which also reminds me of Watergate) without serious consequences is not a good thing and a good showing for India.

BBC_Goons 4y ago

BBC raided, pay back for all the "TV license raid" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ3b01MvMJI&list=PL4Qp-WFXp5oHqJti2iZ6lxZLrwBk_7_tg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ3b01MvMJI&list=PL4Qp-WFXp5... Quite a delight to watch Who needs the SS when the BBC is around?

sparin9 4y ago

The documentary ban seems to be symbolic. Students from number of top universities have publicly shown them on their campuses without any state repercussion. Having said that the reaction from govt was indeed exaggerated.

fennecfoxy 4y ago

>In defiance of the ban, students across the country staged screenings of the documentary at universities and several were detained by police. I mean that's telling in itself.

amriksohata 4y ago

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/indian-authorities-accuse-bbc-tax-evasion-after-searches-97284597 https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/indian-authorities...