December 16, 2025 07:26 pm (IST)
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Rajanth asks BBC, MEA and I&B to not air Nirbhaya documentary
New Delhi, Mar 4 (IBNS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that he asked the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to ensure that the documentary on the December 2012 Delhi gang rape is not broadcast anywhere in the world.
"I spoke to the BBC authorities, I&B Ministry and MEA over the matter," Singh told reporters.
Earlier in the day, a Delhi court banned the documentary film about the December 2012 Delhi gang rape in India.
The court said the comments made by one of the rapists in the documentary could create an atmosphere of fear and tension.
The film, "India's daughter", has been made by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin
The documentary, in which the convicts have been interviewed, has become the centre of a storm with the issue triggering a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha and Home Minister Rajnath Singh assuring members that all steps have been taken to stop telecasting of the film.
He said that the clauses of the permission for shooting the film inside the jail premises were violated.
"A No Objection Certificate (NOC) to shoot the documentary featuring interview of convicted inmates in Tihar jail of cases related to atrocities against women was given by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 24 July, 2013 and thereafter the permissions were given by the jail authorities to shoot the documentary to Ms. Leslee Udwin and Ms. Anjali Bhushan," Singh said in the House.
"It came to the notice of the jail authorities that the permission conditions have been violated and hence a legal notice was issued to them on 7th April, 2014 to return the unedited footage within 15 days and also not to show the film as it violates the permission conditions," said he.
He said the documentary film was shown to the jail authorities where it was noticed that the documentary film depicts the comments of the convict which are highly derogatory and are an affront to the dignity of women.
"It was also noticed that the film shown was the edited version and not the unedited as per permission conditions. Hence, they were requested to provide full copy of the unedited film shootout for further review by the authorities and that they were asked not to release/screen the documentary till it is approved by the authorities," said he.
"Now, it has come to notice that on 8 March, 2015, BBC Four is going to telecast this documentary film. The Government has taken necessary legal action and obtained a restraining order from the court disseminating the contents of the film," Singh assured.
Meanwhile, the director has maintained that she has followed all the conditions which came along with the NOC.
One of the rapist-killers of Nirbhaya, whose fatal gang-rape led to a nationwide outrage, said in the documentary that the girl was to be blamed for her death since she should not have resisted the rape and allowed them to do what they wanted.
The documentary, "India's daughter" has been made by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin.
Portions of the interview the death row inmate was seen blaming the woman for the brutal assault -- have appeared in the media and on YouTube.
Mukesh Singh, who was driving the bus in which the girl was brutally assaulted and has been sentenced to death, said in the documentary, "Women are more responsible for rape than men."
"When being raped, she shouldn't fight back. She should just be silent and allow the rape. Then they'd have dropped her off after 'doing her', and only hit the boy," quoted NDTV from the documentary.
The victim was a physiotherapy student, who was raped and assaulted with an iron rod after she boarded a private bus to go home with a male friend.
Four men, including Singh, were sentenced to death, but their execution was later stayed on appeal by the Supreme Court. One of the defendants hanged himself in prison, while another, who was under 18 at the time of the incident, was sentenced to 3 years in juvenile detention.
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