British body penalises Sikh channel for inciting violence
Saturday, 17/08/2013
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
LONDON: Britain’s media regulator has imposed a hefty fine of £30,000 (about R27 lakh) on a Sikh television channel for “seriously” breaching its code by broadcasting a programme inciting violence within the community against members of the Indian army.
Sangat TV, a Birminghambased satellite channel which broadcasts in Punjabi and English, will have to pay the fine for breaching Ofcom’s code by airing the programme that incited Sikhs to take violent action against Lt Gen Kuldip Singh Brar (retd) and other members of the Indian armed forces. The discussion programme, aired in October last year, followed an attack here on Operation Bluestar commander Lt Gen Brar.
Some of the panellists on the show said Lt Gen Brar deserved to be attacked and congratulated the perpetrators.
Last month, three Sikh men and a woman were found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to the 78-year-old retired army officer while on holiday here in September 2012.
Ofcom said Sangat TV, owned by a company called Regis 1 Limited, broadcast statements as part of the post- attack programme which “were an indirect call to members of the Sikh community to take violent action against Lt Gen Brar and other members of Indian armed forces”.
Regis 1 said its channel was run mostly by volunteers and owned by a charitable trust, the Sangat Trust, and anything more than a token fine would be “crippling”.
However, Ofcom imposed the harsh penalty as a result of a breach of Rule 3.1 of its Broadcasting Code, which states: “Material likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder must not be included in television or radio services.”
