India channel broadcast blank screen to protest ban on rape documentary
For an hour on Sunday (March 8), an Indian news network ran a blank screen with only a flickering lamp in the background.
The move was not due to a technical fault. Rather, it was in protest at the government's ban on the airing of India's Daughter, a documentary on the gang-rape of a Delhi student.
NDTV broadcast a blank screen from 9pm to 10pm on International Women’s Day, the time slot which had been allocated to the film.
The channel has made no public comment about the ban, but its editorial director Sonia Singh tweeted about it.
India obtained a court order banning the film on Tuesday (March 3) on the grounds that it risked fuelling public anger.
Days later, it asked YouTube to block links to the film in India after large numbers of people viewed it online.
The documentary by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin includes an interview with one of the convicted rapists, Mukesh Singh.
In it, the man blames the 23-year-old victim for the crime.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the rapist's comments were "highly derogatory and an affront to the dignity of women".
The ban triggered a storm of protest in India, and many people welcomed NDTV's move.
The great grandson of India’ s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi also tweeted his support.
Source: AFP
Related reports:
India bans TV stations from airing interview with Delhi bus rapist
Shocking words from Delhi bus rapist: 'A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy'
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