Despite blanket ban in India, BBC airs Nirbhaya documentary 'India's Daughter'

New Delhi, March 5: Defying Indian Government's ban order, BBC on Wednesday night telecast the controversial documentary 'India's Daughter,' based on the December 2012 Delhi gang-rape, in the UK and other countries.

Earlier, the documentary scheduled to air on March 8 which is International Women's Day, but a statement from the BBC said given the "intense level of interest" they brought the transmission forward, says NDTV report.

The BBC said in its statement, "This harrowing documentary, made with the full support and co-operation of the victim's parents, provides a revealing insight into a horrific crime that sent shock waves around the world and led to protests across India demanding changes in attitudes towards women."

"The film handles the issue responsibly and we are confident the programme fully complies with our editorial guidelines," it said.

Earlier on Wednesday, following an outrage over the documentary, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government has taken necessary action to stop the telecast of a documentary based on the interview with a convict in the Dec 16 gang-rape case.

Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, the Home Minister said government condemns the December 16, 2012 incident and will not allow to leverage such incidents for commercial use.

The FIR was registered under IPC sections relating to statements conducing to create public mischief, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, intent to cause or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman and under the IT Act provisions of punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service at the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police.

On Tuesday evening, Delhi Police moved Metropolitan Magistrate Puneet Pahwa at Patiala House here and obtained an order restraining the media from broadcasting, publishing or transmitting the controversial interview till further orders.

The controversial documentary on the Delhi gangrape, which features an interview with one of the six accused, has embroiled a controversy. In the documentary ‘India's Daughter', Mukesh Kumar, who is on death row in the December 16 gang-rape case, showed no remorse for the rape during the interview he gave to British filmmaker. In the interview, Kumar reportedly said that women are more responsible for rape than men.
He also says that women who go out at night have only themselves to blame if they attract the attention of gangs of male molesters.

"A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy," he said. Singh also said that had the girl and her friend not tried to fight back, the gang would not have inflicted the savage beating which led to her death later.

OneIndia News
(With agency inputs)