India court bars airing of Al Jazeera documentary on Muslim minority
Media network’s film, India … Who Lit the Fuse? looks into incidents of hatred committed by Hindu nationalist organisations against Muslims
An Indian court has prohibited Al Jazeera from airing an investigation into hate crimes committed against Muslims by Hindu supremacist groups in the country.
The Allahabad High Court in the northern Uttar Pradesh state on Wednesday barred the Doha-based media network from airing the film India … Who Lit the Fuse?, saying the broadcast could lead to "evil consequences", reports Al Jazeera.
"Considering the evil consequences that are likely to occur on the telecast/broadcast of film … we are of the view that the broadcast/telecast of the film in question be deferred pending consideration of the cause in the present petition," the court said as it heard a petition against the film filed by an Indian national.
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According to reports in Indian media, petitioner Sudhir Kumar said the documentary might sow discord among the country's population as to jeopardise India's sovereignty.
The Indian government was ordered by the court to prevent the film from being shown in theatres or promoted on social media before the relevant authorities had a chance to review it and provide their approval.
The next scheduled court date for this matter is 6 July.
