Why Modi Needs to Be Questioned

…. the British Foreign Office held Modi “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the violence and said it had “all the hallmarks of an ethnic cleansing.”

        “India: The Modi Question” takes an in-depth look at the 2002 Gujarat riots, one of the worst outbreaks of religious violence in India since the country’s independence in 1947. It also delves into widespread cases of lynchings against Muslims under the name of the “Pink Revolution.” It also looks at Article 370 and the “Contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019,” as well as the North-East Delhi communal violence in 2020. This BBC documentary also provides the government’s and the police’s defense on each topic in addition to independent reports, testimony, and opinions from impacted parties, academics, journalists, and civil society. Additionally, it contains in-depth remarks from three individuals who reflect the BJP’s point of view, most notably writer and former BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta.

Modi’s alleged involvement in encouraging the violence has long been the subject of debate. However, the BBC documentary took a step further and revealed that a previously unreleased study from the British Foreign Office held Modi “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the violence and said it had “all the hallmarks of an ethnic cleansing.”

It has been 20 years since the Gujarat riot, and the controversy regarding Modi’s involvement has always been there. So, why did it take 20 years for a documentary like this to be produced? And why couldn’t India do it? Why did the BBC have to come up with this? 

Let us take a peek at it.

the British Foreign Office held Modi “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the violence and said it had “all the hallmarks of an ethnic cleansing.”

The documentary records a caption at the beginning which states, “More than 30 people in India declined to take part in this series because of fears about their safety.” This alone should give us a gist of the Freedom of Speech and Expression in India.

What guarantees the protection of others when ex-BJP members are no longer safe?

The documentary also mentions that Haren Pandya, a minister in the Gujarat administration, met a fatal end after testifying to a Jesuit priest that Modi had indeed given the instructions for the riot. Also, his attendance at the meeting was disputed. Subramanian Swamy, a BJP member of parliament, called Pandya’s death “tragic and mysterious” on the show. What guarantees the protection of others when ex-BJP members are no longer safe?

In the first part of the documentary, the interviewer is seen asking Modi, “… Do you think you should have done anything differently.?” To this, Modi had replied aggressively, “Yes. One area where I was very, very weak. That was how to handle the media.” That was a strong goodbye to Freedom of the Press. 

It was only a brief glance, and when the documentary signed off with the remark: “History is being rewritten,” we thought it was indisputable! 

Special Article By: Fathima Ameera KT

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