Shweta Tambade
On 22nd December, Republic Bharat owned by Arnab Goswami was imposed with a fine of Rs 19.73 lakh (20,000 pounds) by the United Kingdom’s communications regulator Office of Communications.
The channel was accused of broadcasting content in the show “Poochhta hai Bharat” that aired on 9th September 2019.
The show involved “abusive or derogatory treatment of individuals, groups, religions or communities with comments against people of Pakistan.”
The Hindi news channel which is an arm of Republic TV has also been directed to air an apology on the channel.
The UK’s Office of Communications concluded that the episode violated the conditions in the Ofcom Broadcasting norms by using such language.
The order stated, “Ofcom’s Breach Decision found that an episode of the programme Poochta Hai Bharat contained comments made by the host and some of his guests that amounted to hate speech against Pakistani people, and derogatory and abusive treatment of Pakistani people. The content was also potentially offensive and was not sufficiently justified by the context.”
Worldview Media Network Limited has been imposed with sanctions that hold the license for airing Republic Bharat in the UK.
The show aired by Republic TV was related to Chandraayan 2 spacecraft mission to the moon and it compared India’s space exploration and technological advancements to Pakistan, and Pakistan’s alleged terrorist activities against Indian targets.
The Ofcom also stated that “the comments made by Goswami and his guests on the discussion panel amounted to hate speech against Pakistani people, and derogatory and abusive treatment of Pakistani people.”
It also noted that the content of the programme was “potentially offensive and was not sufficiently justified by the context.”
As per Ofcom, the comments made were “expressions of hatred based on intolerance of Pakistani people based on their nationality alone” and encouraged and validated intolerance towards Pakistani people among viewers.
The UK regulator has also accused the channel of using the term ‘Paki’ which was a racist term and unacceptable by the UK audience.