LONDON, (Reuters): India has blocked the airing of a BBC documentary which questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, saying that even sharing of any clips via social media is barred.

Directions to block the clips from being shared have been issued using emergency powers available to the government under the country’s information technology rules, said Kanchan Gupta, an adviser to the government, on his Twitter handle on Saturday. While the BBC has not aired the documentary in India, the video was uploaded on some YouTube channels, Gupta said.

The government has issued orders to Twitter to block over 50 tweets linking to the video of the documentary and YouTube has been instructed to block any uploads of the video, Gupta said.

Both YouTube and Twitter have complied with the directions, he added. Modi was the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat when it was gripped by communal riots that left more than 1,000 people dead, by government count – most of them Muslims. The violence erupted after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, killing 59. Human rights activists estimate at least double that number died in the rioting.

Modi denied accusations that he failed to stop the rioting. A special investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate the role of Modi and others in the violence said in a 541-page report in 2012 it could find no evidence to prosecute the then chief minister. Modi was later named the head of his party, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which he led to power in general elections in 2014 and then in 2019.

Last week, a spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry termed the BBC documentary a “propaganda piece” meant to push a “discredited narrative”. (Reuters)

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Bilkis Bano on Wednesday challenged the remission of sentence and release of convicts in the 2002 rape and murder case filing a plea before the Supreme Court.

The top court said it will consider listing the matter for hearing.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha took note of the submissions of lawyer Shobha Gupta that the victim herself has challenged the grant of remission and release of the convicts, and the matter be listed for hearing.

She said that Justice Ajay Rastogi, who was part of the bench which had heard other similar pleas against the remission, was now part of a Constitution Bench hearing.

”The review has to be heard first. Let it come before Justice Rastogi,” the CJI said.

When the counsel for Bano said let the matter be heard in open court, the bench said, ”Only the court concerned can decide that.” The CJI said that he would take a call on the issue in the evening.

Earlier, a bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar had said that it would hear a fresh plea moved by a women’s organisation, National Federation of Indian Women, challenging the remission of sentence and the release of convicts in the case.

The gang-rape case also involves the killing of seven of Bano’s family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Bano was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident.

Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven of her family who were killed.

The 11 men convicted in the case walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They had completed more than 15 years in jail. (PTI)

MORBI, GUJARAT: As of 10 pm on Sunday at the time of publishing this story, more than 60 people have been found or fished out of the river dead and hundreds more are imjured.

The nearly century-old suspension bridge on the Machchhu river collapsed around 6.30 pm owing to too many people on it following its reopening just four days ago after renovation.

”Cable bridge collapse in Gujarat points to the gross negligence of the BJP government. Its repair was said to be done five days back. Where from the contractors got this courage? The compensation needs to be increased. A reliable enquiry should take place to unveil political involvement,” CPI leader Binoy Viswam tweeted.

A private operator had carried out the repair work of the bridge for nearly six months before it was reopened to the public on the Gujarati New Year day celebrated on October 26. (READ THE LATEST UPDATES ON MORBI BRIDGE COLLAPSE HERE)

(With inputs from PTI)

UPDATE: 31st October, 10.45 am (10.45 HRS) IST: The death toll in the Morbi bridge collapse has risen to almost 148, with more bodies being found as rescue work continues. Nearly 190 injured persons have been either admitted to hospitals or treated and sent home, after first aid and other treatment.

Ahmedabad, (PTI): Unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader on Sunday, Bhupendra Patel, a first-time MLA, is known as a soft-spoken worker of the party, who has made his way up in the state politics from the municipality level.

Patel (59), who will replace Vijay Rupani as the chief minister of Gujarat, had contested his maiden Assembly election from Ghatlodia constituency in Ahmedabad in 2017 and won it by a margin of over 1.17 lakh votes, which was a record during that election.

Fondly called as ‘Dada’ by many, he is considered to be close to former Gujarat chief minister and now Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel.

He represents the Assembly constituency that is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat represented by Union minister Amit Shah.

In the past, Patel had served as the chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) between 2015 and 2017. Before that, he was also the standing committee chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the largest urban local body in Gujarat, between 2010 and 2015.

People close to him know Patel, who holds a diploma in civil engineering, as a smiling face, who is well-connected to the grass roots. Before contesting the Assembly election, he was active in local politics and became a member of Memnagar Municipality in Ahmedabad district, serving as its president twice.

Patel is also a trustee of Sardardham Vishwa Patidar Kendra, an organisation to dedicated to the socio-economic development of the Patidar community. (PTI)