Centre orders blocking of tweets, YouTube videos on BBC documentary on PM Modi: Sources

The Centre has ordered the blocking of YouTube videos which published the first episode of the BBC documentary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said adding that Twitter has also been asked to block over 50 tweets containing links to those YouTube videos.

Amid controversy over the documentary which the ministry of external affairs terms a propaganda piece, senior officials of the Union home minister, external affairs ministry and the information and broadcasting ministry examined the documentary and found it to be an attempt to cast aspersions on the authority and the credibility of the Supreme Court of India.

“The documentary was accordingly found to be undermining sovereignty and integrity of India, and having the potential to adversely impact India’s friendly relations with foreign States as also public order within the country,” sources said.

The information and broadcasting ministry issued the directives to YouTube and Twitter under the IT Rules, 2021. Both YouTube and Twitter have complied with the directions, say sources.

“The documentary produced by British Broadcasting Corporation, UK’s Public Broadcaster, has been earlier called by MEA as a “propaganda piece” that lacks objectivity and reflects colonial mindset. While it was not made available in India by BBC in India, some YouTube channels appear to have uploaded it to promote an anti-India agenda. It is reported that YouTube has also been instructed to block the video if it is again uploaded on its platform. Twitter has also been directed to identify and block the tweets containing the link to the video on other platforms,” an official said.