BBC under fire for calling Kashmir terrorists ‘militants'
The Indian government has complained to the BBC for calling the attackers in last week's Kashmir massacre 'militants' rather than 'terrorists'.
In a letter to Jackie Martin, head of BBC India, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said it objected to the corporation's reporting of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam which left 26 people dead.
'A formal letter has been sent to the BBC on the terming of terrorists as militants. The external publicity division of the MEA will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC,' an official told The Telegraph.
The BBC has previously come under fire from the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, particularly over its coverage of human rights and minority issues.
In January 2023, the corporation broadcast a documentary featuring criticism of Mr Modi's actions as chief minister of state during the 2002 Gujarat riots, during which around 800 Muslims were killed.
In response, the government invoked emergency laws to prevent the programme from being shown in India.
Authorities ordered Twitter and YouTube to take down links and posts about the film – called India: The Modi Question – and branded it a 'propaganda piece' made with a 'colonial mindset'.
A month later, tax officials raided the corporation's New Delhi offices, which led to the BBC restructuring its Indian operations.
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