Indian government allegedly forced Twitter and YouTube to remove BBC documentary about Modi

• India directed Twitter to delete over 50 tweets about the documentary.
• “India: The Modi Question” have been removed from both platforms.
• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak doesn’t agree with the characterization.

According to local Indian media, the Indian government has allegedly forced Twitter and YouTube to remove links to a BBC documentary about the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Several tweets and YouTube videos from the documentary “India: The Modi Question” have been removed from both platforms.

According to sources, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry instructed the two social media moguls to block the first episode of the BBC documentary a day after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself from the series, declaring that he “doesn’t agree with the characterization” of his Indian counterpart in the UK’s parliament by Pakistan-origin MP Imran Hussain.

According to sources, India directed Twitter to delete over 50 tweets about the documentary.

Derek O’Brien, a Trinamool Congress MP, was among those whose tweets about the documentary were deleted by Twitter.

“Censorship. My tweet about the BBC documentary has been removed from Twitter. It was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. The one-hour BBC documentary reveals how the Prime Minister despises minorities “According to O’Brien.

CENSORSHIP@Twitter @TwitterIndia HAS TAKEN DOWN MY TWEET of the #BBCDocumentary, it received lakhs of views

The 1 hr @BBC docu exposes how PM @narendramodi HATES MINORITIES

Here’s👇the mail I recieved. Also see flimsy reason given. Oppn will continue to fight the good fight pic.twitter.com/8lfR0XPViJ

— Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) January 21, 2023

According to those familiar with the situation, the I&B Ministry used emergency powers granted by the Information Technology Rules, 2021, to compel the removal of the links, and both YouTube and Twitter agreed to comply.

Indian government has referred to the film as “propaganda”

India claimed that it lacks objectivity and has a colonial mentality.

According to sources, the federal government has also directed that any new links to the documentary be removed from Twitter and YouTube.

According to sources, after closely examining the documentary, officials from several ministries, including home and foreign as well as I&B, concluded that it was an attempt to undermine the Supreme Court’s authority and credibility, sow discord among Indian communities, and make unproven claims about foreign governments’ actions in India.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari once referred to Modi as the “butcher of Gujarat” in reference to the same riots that were the subject of a BBC documentary. He criticized India’s role in fostering terrorism in Pakistan and claimed that terrorist groups in the country are supported by the neighboring country.

An investigation ordered by the Supreme Court found no evidence of misconduct by PM Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat when the riots began in February 2002.

Netizens have spoken against censorship.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is insecure of all?” a user commented.

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Mirror mirror on the wall, who is insecure of all?

— 🇵🇸 پربھا 🏳️‍🌈 (@deepsealioness) January 21, 2023

“Modi is the synonym of ‘Coward’,” said another.

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ND Modi is synonym of “Coward”

— Bilal Rashid (@BilalRashid__) January 21, 2023

“Why is the Modi government afraid of someone tweeting about a BBC documentary when the center has already stated that it is “propaganda”? People who question propaganda?” enquired another.

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