BBC: British inquiry held Modi 'directly responsible' for 2002 Gujarat riots

-- Damning BBC documentary examines the 2002 riots and allegations of the Indian prime minister's role in the 'ethnic cleansing' of Muslims

The two-part exposé, titled "India: The Modi Question", was, however, pulled down from YouTube on Wednesday, a day after its release, after the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom came under fire from India.

Must watch: Excerpts from a BBC documentary just telecast in UK about our PM Modi & his documented role in the ethnic cleansing pogrom of 2002 in Gujarat pic.twitter.com/O1bAABRiA0

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) January 19, 2023

The riots were a series of violent incidents that took place in Gujarat following the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, which killed 58 people. The violence resulted in the deaths of approximately 1000 people, mostly Muslims, making it one of India’s worst outbreaks of religious violence. Modi has always denied any wrongdoing.

A closure report by a special investigation team (SIT) appointed by India's Supreme Court in 2012 claimed there was no evidence to suggest Modi or his government had any involvement in the riots. The court also dismissed a petition challenging the report in June of last year.

The documentary said the visiting British team had sent a report to the UK government, which has never been published.

It also featured a former senior diplomat and member of a British government investigation team claiming the riots were planned by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, an affiliate of the militant Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) group.

The RSS is the fountainhead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and believes in a Hindu-first ideology.

The British government inquiry team had previously said the VHP and its allies "could not have inflicted so much damage without the climate of impunity created by the state government."

The documentary also alleged that Modi met with senior police officers on February 27, 2002 and "ordered them not to intervene" in the rioting.

The team's report also concluded the violence during the riots was "much greater than reported" and had "all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing," including "widespread and systematic rape" of Muslim women.

The world cannot afford to miss this interview straight out of the BBC 2 documentary on Narendra Modi. One of the rare occasions when Modi spoke to a journalist after the 2002 pogrom in GUJARAT. This is his attitude to journalists and journalism and minorities

Via @churumuri pic.twitter.com/ZfozM2uYYe

— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) January 18, 2023

Jack Straw, who was the British foreign secretary at the time of the riots, called the allegations against Modi a "stain on his reputation." The United Kingdom had imposed a diplomatic boycott on Modi for his alleged failure to stop the violence, which was lifted in 2012.

The United States also denied Modi a visa for the same reason from 2005 to 2014.

Modi has defended his actions during the riots, stating that his government "had used its full strength" to "do the right thing."