BBC Documentary Row: Russia Backs India, Says 'British Broadcaster Waging Information War'

BBC Documentary Row: Russian Foreign Ministry has backed India and accused the BBC of "waging an information war" on different fronts - not only against Moscow but also against other global centers of power pursuing an independent policy,

Moscow: In a significant development, Russia has accused the BBC of "waging an information war" on different fronts - not only against Moscow but also against other global centers of power pursuing an independent policy, days after the British broadcaster released a controversial series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made these remarks when asked about the BBC's controversial documentary. "Our Indian friends have already made a comment on this situation. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it is yet another evidence of the BBC waging an information war on different fronts - not only against Russia but also against other global centers of power pursuing an independent policy," Zakharova told reporters.

After a certain number of years, it turns out that the BBC is fighting even within the British establishment, being an instrument of the interests of some groups against others, she said.

"It should be treated accordingly. The BBC is not an independent television and radio corporation, but a dependent one, often neglecting the basic requirements of the journalism profession," she added.

The reaction from the Russian Foreign Ministry comes at a time when protests are being held across the India against Centre’s ban on screening of the controversial BBC documentary on Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots. 

The two-part BBC documentary, which claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Modi was the chief minister of that state, has been trashed by the Ministry of External Affairs as a "propaganda piece" that lacked objectivity and reflected a "colonial mindset".

The BBC has defended the programme as "rigorously researched according to the highest editorial standards.'' British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has defended Prime Minister Modi over the BBC documentary, asserting that he "didn't agree with the characterisation? of his Indian counterpart.