India asks YouTube to block rape film

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India said Thursday it had asked YouTube to block access to a documentary about a savage gang-rape in Delhi, after barring broadcasters from airing the film.

The authorities also confirmed that a legal notice had been issued to the BBC late Wednesday, asking it not to broadcast the documentary as it violated certain agreements with the filmmaker.

“India’s Daughter” has sparked a fierce debate in India because it includes an interview in which one of the rapists blamed the 23-year-old victim, saying she should not have been out at night and should not have fought back.

It was due to be shown in seven countries including India and Britain on Sunday to mark International Women’s Day, but a court ruled late Tuesday that it should not be screened in India.

Home Ministry spokesman MA Ganapathy told AFP the Government had asked YouTube to block links to the film in India after large numbers of people viewed it online.

Some links to the film could still be seen in India on Thursday afternoon, but others appeared to be blocked.

The Tihar Jail, where the men convicted of gang rape are lodged and were interviewed for the documentary, issued a legal notice to the BBC and was awaiting its response.

“We issued a legal notice to the BBC late Wednesday night (India time), asking them not to telecast the documentary as it violated the agreement with the documentary maker,” a jail official told AFP on Thursday.

“The main violation was that the complete footage wasn’t shown to the jail authorities and that it couldn’t be broadcast anywhere without our clearance,” the official added.

India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said the government sought the ban because Singh’s comments were “highly derogatory and an affront to the dignity of women”.

The British broadcaster, which brought forward its screening of “India’s Daughter” to Wednesday evening, said it was showing the film early due to public interest.