The Gujarat state assembly has passed a resolution against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for "distorting facts" in its documentary "India: The Modi question."
The resolution was passed unanimously after a two-hour discussion and supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Gujarat government. BJP legislator Vipul Patel alleges that the BBC has a hidden motive of working against "India and the Indian government."
"The BBC documentary misrepresents the events of 2002 in a malicious and low-level attempt to tarnish India's image globally," lawmaker Vipul Patel said on Friday in the state assembly while supporting the resolution.
The House urged the federal government to take strict action against the BBC for releasing the "fabricated" documentary that was used as a "tool-kit" to "defame" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BBC's Controversial Documentary
In January, the BBC released a documentary casting aspersions on Modi's role as state chief of Gujarat in 2002, when riots broke out after 60 Hindu pilgrims were killed after their train carriage was set alight at the Godhra railway station.
After news of the death of the Hindu pilgrims spread in the state, a communal riot took place for the next three days, in which thousands of people were killed, mainly Muslims.
The documentary alleges that then-Gujarat state chief Narendra Modi deliberately allowed the violence and intentionally took no action to stop it.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on January 21 blocked multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial documentary.
The Indian government, however, rejected the BBC's claims and stated that the documentary represents a colonial mindset and media bias against India.
Earlier, while speaking with Sputnik, experts questioned the need to release the documentary when India's top court - after a detailed enquiry - had said that no substantial proof had been found against Modi.