U.K. petition demands independent probe into BBC series on PM Modi

London A new online petition has demanded an independent probe into a “serious breach” by the BBC in

A new online petition has demanded an independent probe into a “serious breach” by the BBC in its duties as a public broadcaster in the U.K. over the controversial documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

‘Call for an Independent Investigation into the BBC over Modi documentary’ on Change.Org, which “strongly” condemns the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC) for failing to meet the “highest standards of editorial impartiality”, has attracted over 2,500 signatures since it went online on January 22 night.

The petition labels ‘India: The Modi Question’, the first part of which aired last week and the second is due to be aired on January 24, as a piece of “sinister propaganda journalism that deliberately misinforms its viewers”.

“We strongly condemn the BBC for failing to meet the highest standards of editorial impartiality in its two-part documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’,” it reads.

“We call upon the BBC Board to conduct an independent investigation into this serious breach of its duties as a public service broadcaster and publish the findings in full,” it demands.

The petition also urges the U.K.’s independent media watchdog – the Office of Communications (OFCOM) – to hold the BBC to account for what it calls “repeated failures to secure content standards which command the trust of license-fee paying audiences” and to discuss necessary corrections and clarifications with the broadcaster.

Under the rationale for the latest move, the organisers of the petition claim the documentary is an “example of agenda driven reporting and institutional bias that now characterises this once globally respected organisation”.