Government blocks broadcast of December 16 gang-rape documentary: As it happened

New Delhi: There is outrage and anger after excerpts of an interview of a December 16 gang-rape convict came into public domain. The interview was taken for a BBC documentary and was to be telecast later this week. However, the government has advised media not to telecast the same and the Delhi Police have also secured a restraining order from a court against telecast of the interview.

Live updates:

• BBC to air Nirbhaya documentary 'India's Daughter' tonight in UK (around 3 AM IST).
• Rajnath meets LG Najeeb Jung, BS Bassi and Additional Secretary in MHA (Centre-State) AK Singh. 
• This was done after we took a regular order from the concerned court, a restrain order had been issued yesterday itself, adds Bassi.
• Broadcast of Nirbhaya documentary has been restricted. BBC and other channels have been told about it, says BS Bassi, Delhi CP.
• There is a limit to which in gory detail a person can exercise his freedom of speech: Singhvi.
• Congress doesn’t in any manner support unbridled, unlicensed, abusive utterances which may go off in the name of free speech, says Congress' AM Singhvi on Nirbhaya documentary.
• Protest take place in Kolkata against Nirbhaya rape case convict.
• Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level meet on the matter. The meet will be attended by the Delhi Police Commissioner, Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Tihar Jail Director-General and Home Secretary.
• The Home Ministry has issued directions to the Ministries of External Affairs and Information and Broadcasting, as well as the British Broadcasting Corporation (which filmed the documentary) not to telecast the interview. The MHA has also issued directions to ensure the documentary is not made available on social networking websites.
• Court directs police to take action against those who publish or broadcast the contents of the documentary.
• Delhi's Patiala House Court upholds stay on BBC documentary till further order.

• Former home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has denied issuing permission for the filming of documentary. TV channels quoted Shinde as saying that media was dragging his name into the controversy. “The Home Minister has not taken my name,” he told a news channel. Shinde was home minister in UPA-2 government when the interview of Delhi gang-rape convict was taken.
• The Home Ministry is reported to have written to the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking to restrain BBC from airing the Nirbhaya documentary outside India.
• Tihar Jail DG Alok Verma summoned by Home Minister Rajnath Singh
• It is essential to debate the sick mindset of men who rape, that's the mindset that needs to be changed - Kiran Bedi
• There is a conspiracy to defame India - Naidu
• Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu says the government can stop broadcast of the documentary in India but not outside. “We are exploring what we can do about that.”  
• Don't think we need an extensive debate on this issue. I have taken cognizance of the matter already - Rajnath
• Will also fix responsibility if needed, I assure the House - Rajnath
• I will get the entire matter investigated and also review procedures that allowed this interview to be taken - Rajnath
• I am amazed by the permission granted to take interview of a rapist - Rajnath
• Home Minister Rajnath Singh is now making a statement in Lok Sabha
• SP members walk out of Rajya Sabha protesting
• December 16 gang-rape convict's interview.
• Will let the BBC also know about restraining order, they should not run the documentary. We will also work to block the content that is on the Internet - Bassi
• Prima facie, nothing wrong in granting conditional permission. We don't investigate why an interview was given; we investigate whether content was unlawful in nature - Bassi
• Content of documentary will be examined and action will be taken accordingly, says Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi
• Airing of documentary would be contempt of court; broadcasting would be against I&B broadcast code - Rathore

• Conditional interview permission was given by previous government. This entire documentary is against the programming code of I&B Ministry - Rajyavardhan Rathore
• Separately, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore says the problem with the documentary is with its language that appears to incite violence against women.

• Women MPs walk out of Rajya Sabha and later meet Chairman Hamid Ansari.
• Amid uproar in Rajya Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh says he will get the entire matter investigated and fix responsibility.
• While I would agree with Javed Akhtar ji that there are men who have views like rapist, there are also men who abhor it - Nirmala Seetharaman
• The question is how those people got the permission to shoot the documentary - Ambika Soni
• I don't want any more assurances, I want to know what actions are being taken - Jaya Bachchan
• Good that this documentary was made. Now we will know how many people are there who think like that rapist - Javed Akhtar
• Ali Anwar asks, “Why has the rapist not been hanged till now?” Rajnath replies, “This is court's decision, I can't say anything on that.”
• Will ensure interviews inside jails are not allowed in future and such incidences don't recur - Rajnath
• I am surprised about the circumstances in which such orders (to shoot the documentary) were given - Rajnath
• I was deeply hurt by this when I came to know about it yesterday. I spoke to authorities and made sure all steps taken to stop the broadcast - Rajnath
• Government won't allow any organisation to leverage from such an incident and use it for commercial purpose - Rajnath
• It has come to notice that on March 8, 2015, BBC 4 is going to telecast this documentary.
• Our government condemns the incident of 2012. The government has taken necessary action and secured a court order restraining telecast of film - Rajnath
• It was noted the film shown was unedited version and not edited. They were required to take approval from Tihar Jail authorities before telecast but did not so - Rajnath
• Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is making a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha
• I expressed my anger that such criminals were allowed to give an interview. Such criminals being given even five minutes under the sun is wrong, says Congress leader Ambika Soni
• Rajya Sabha adjourns briefly following uproar with Opposition demand for action against Tihar Jail authorities for allowing interview of December 16 gang-rape convict

• We don't need your crocodile tears - Jaya Bachchan to Treasury Benches
• Also, we will inform the House whatever action the government takes - Naqvi
• Home Minister has taken cognizance of the issue, rest assured we will take strict action against those who were at fault - Naqvi
• MoS MA Naqvi says the government is trying to find out how this interview happened
• I want the government to take action and report to this House - Kurien
• The convict is now justifying his crime. This is unbelievable - Kurien
• The question is not about BBC, the interview happened in this country - Kurien
• Notice reserved but I agree, interview should not have happened - Kurien
• The matter is sensitive, says Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien
• Parliament convenes
• Senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi has given a notice to debate the Nirbhaya documentary issue in the Rajya Sabha