Pahalgam terror attack: BBC irks Centre again, this time over a 'misleading' headline

The Centre has slammed the BBC for its coverage of the Pahalgam terror attack and has sent a letter to the India head of the British TV network.

An article titled "Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists" has raised a controversy after a social media user claimed that the "misleading" headline depicts India as the perpetrator of the attack.

The central government also raised objection regarding the use of the word "militants" instead of "terrorists".

The Centre wrote to Jackie Martin, the chief of BBC India operation, expressing India's strong sentiments in the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists. It has been revealed that Pakistan-based The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, is behind the attack.

In February 2023, India raided BBC offices in Mumbai and New Delhi over income tax irregularities. The searches came after the UK outlet broadcast a documentary, India: The Modi Question, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the same month last year, the Supreme Court rejected a petition that sought imposition of a complete ban on BBC in the country over the controversial documentary. The apex court said the plea was "absolutely meritless" and "entirely misconceived". However, the Centre had banned YouTube videos and X posts that shared the links to the BBC documentary.

The latest action against BBC India comes amid Centre's move to ban 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including Dawn and a channel linked to cricketer Shoaib Akhtar. Others banned news outlets include Samaa TV, BoI News, Geo TV, Raftar, Suno News and ARY News. The YouTube channels of journalists Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, Irshad Bhatti and Muneeb Farooq are also banned. Other channels like Razi Naama, Uzair Cricket, Samaa Sports and Pakistan Reference have also been blocked.

India