BBC's Sonia Deol is forced off Facebook by Sikhs furious over TV film
BBC's Sonia Deol is forced off Facebook by Sikhs furious over TV film | Mail Online
A BBC News presenter has been subjected to a deluge of personal abuse after fronting a documentary about one of the most controversial events in recent Indian history.
Sonia Deol was forced to delete her page on the Facebook website amid a barrage of criticism from fellow Sikhs over her film about the Indian army storming the Golden Temple in Amritsar, one of the faith’s most holy shrines, in 1984.
Now protesters are planning a mass boycott of the licence fee in disgust at what they see as a slur on the controversial religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in the raid.
Controversial: Sonia Deol's film provoked a furious response from some Sikhs
Many Sikhs consider him a saint and are furious that in Ms Deol’s documentary, 1984: A Sikh Story, he was described as a militant.
They also claim he was depicted in the film in a similar way to Osama Bin Laden.
Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered the assault on June 4, 1984, after Bhindranwale and up to 500 armed supporters took refuge in the holy site, apparently fearing arrest amid rising Sikh-Hindu tensions.
Around 500 people died in the ensuing battle, which some Sikhs now refer to as ‘our 9/11’.
As troops moved in, Bhindranwale’s followers fired missiles at Indian tanks.
The BBC has received 52 complaints about the documentary, which attracted 1.3 million viewers and was billed as Ms Deol’s ‘emotional journey back to India in a bid to discover how such an attack could ever have taken place’.
However, community TV station The Sikh Channel says it received more than 8,000 calls to a phone-in about the controversial film.
Legacy: Sikhs are unhappy with the portrayal of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the film
Channel owner Davinder Singh Bal said: ‘The documentary contained many sweeping statements and didn’t attempt to uncover the truth of what happened.
'Our viewers were not happy. BT said that our exchange was going into overdrive.
‘The BBC is not responding to the Sikh community and we are thinking about organising a campaign to invoke the non-payment of licence fees by the 700,000 Sikhs in Britain.’
Dr Sadhu Singh, chairman of the Council of Sikh Temples, said many viewers were angered that ‘the BBC showed him [Bhindranwale] looking like Bin Laden’.
He said: ‘They used pictures of him wearing a turban and holding a gun. To someone who doesn’t know what Sikhism is about, it would be very misleading.
'Sikhs were attacked after September 11, but Sikhs are nothing to do with Bin Laden.
‘Some people are very upset that the documentary also showed Sonia Deol dancing with Hindus as if there is no problem between Hindus and Sikhs.
‘The feeling is still there that people who were responsible for 1984 have not been brought to justice.’
Ms Deol – who hosts BBC Breakfast at weekends and News 24 bulletins – deleted her Facebook profile onWednesday after the row escalated.
She told fans: ‘Time to shut this fan page down guys. Sorry. I know loadsof you have been superb, but a small minority have not understood what I am/am not in control of personally.’
In her introduction to the film, 36-year-old Ms Deol said Bhindranwale was ‘viewed as a militant who had terrorised for long enough’.
And she interviewed General Kuldip Singh Braer, who commanded the Indian forces that stormed the temple in what was known as Operation Blue Star.
The general, who also comes from a Sikh family, said of Bhindranwale: ‘He may have started out as a saint but he didn’t end as a saint.’
Holy site: The Golden Temple in Amritsar was stormed by the Indian army in 1984
Operation Blue Star is believed to have led to the assassination of Mrs Gandhi, who was killed by two of her Sikh bodyguards four months after the attack.
Her death triggered three days of attacks on Sikhs across India, in which 3,000 people were killed.
A BBC source said Ms Deol’s documentary was never intended to be an investigation, saying: ‘It was her personal journey, a look at her reaction to rediscovering her faith as a Sikh.
‘It was for a mainstream channel, BBC1 and there’s only so much you can say in an hour.
'A lot of the attacks on Sonia have been because people think that the documentary reflected her views on Bhindranwale, but she did not give her opinions about him at all.
'She’s also had a lot of supportive comments.’
A BBC spokeswoman said: ‘1984:A Sikh Story was an authored personal journey through the eyes of a young British Sikh and included a range of contributors offering differing points of view.’
BBC's Sonia Deol is forced off Facebook by Sikhs furious over TV film | Mail Online
A BBC News presenter has been subjected to a deluge of personal abuse after fronting a documentary about one of the most controversial events in recent Indian history.
Sonia Deol was forced to delete her page on the Facebook website amid a barrage of criticism from fellow Sikhs over her film about the Indian army storming the Golden Temple in Amritsar, one of the faith’s most holy shrines, in 1984.
Now protesters are planning a mass boycott of the licence fee in disgust at what they see as a slur on the controversial religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in the raid.
Controversial: Sonia Deol's film provoked a furious response from some Sikhs
Many Sikhs consider him a saint and are furious that in Ms Deol’s documentary, 1984: A Sikh Story, he was described as a militant.
They also claim he was depicted in the film in a similar way to Osama Bin Laden.
Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered the assault on June 4, 1984, after Bhindranwale and up to 500 armed supporters took refuge in the holy site, apparently fearing arrest amid rising Sikh-Hindu tensions.
Around 500 people died in the ensuing battle, which some Sikhs now refer to as ‘our 9/11’.
As troops moved in, Bhindranwale’s followers fired missiles at Indian tanks.
The BBC has received 52 complaints about the documentary, which attracted 1.3 million viewers and was billed as Ms Deol’s ‘emotional journey back to India in a bid to discover how such an attack could ever have taken place’.
However, community TV station The Sikh Channel says it received more than 8,000 calls to a phone-in about the controversial film.
Legacy: Sikhs are unhappy with the portrayal of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the film
Channel owner Davinder Singh Bal said: ‘The documentary contained many sweeping statements and didn’t attempt to uncover the truth of what happened.
'Our viewers were not happy. BT said that our exchange was going into overdrive.
‘The BBC is not responding to the Sikh community and we are thinking about organising a campaign to invoke the non-payment of licence fees by the 700,000 Sikhs in Britain.’
Dr Sadhu Singh, chairman of the Council of Sikh Temples, said many viewers were angered that ‘the BBC showed him [Bhindranwale] looking like Bin Laden’.
He said: ‘They used pictures of him wearing a turban and holding a gun. To someone who doesn’t know what Sikhism is about, it would be very misleading.
'Sikhs were attacked after September 11, but Sikhs are nothing to do with Bin Laden.
‘Some people are very upset that the documentary also showed Sonia Deol dancing with Hindus as if there is no problem between Hindus and Sikhs.
‘The feeling is still there that people who were responsible for 1984 have not been brought to justice.’
Ms Deol – who hosts BBC Breakfast at weekends and News 24 bulletins – deleted her Facebook profile onWednesday after the row escalated.
She told fans: ‘Time to shut this fan page down guys. Sorry. I know loadsof you have been superb, but a small minority have not understood what I am/am not in control of personally.’
In her introduction to the film, 36-year-old Ms Deol said Bhindranwale was ‘viewed as a militant who had terrorised for long enough’.
And she interviewed General Kuldip Singh Braer, who commanded the Indian forces that stormed the temple in what was known as Operation Blue Star.
The general, who also comes from a Sikh family, said of Bhindranwale: ‘He may have started out as a saint but he didn’t end as a saint.’
Holy site: The Golden Temple in Amritsar was stormed by the Indian army in 1984
Operation Blue Star is believed to have led to the assassination of Mrs Gandhi, who was killed by two of her Sikh bodyguards four months after the attack.
Her death triggered three days of attacks on Sikhs across India, in which 3,000 people were killed.
A BBC source said Ms Deol’s documentary was never intended to be an investigation, saying: ‘It was her personal journey, a look at her reaction to rediscovering her faith as a Sikh.
‘It was for a mainstream channel, BBC1 and there’s only so much you can say in an hour.
'A lot of the attacks on Sonia have been because people think that the documentary reflected her views on Bhindranwale, but she did not give her opinions about him at all.
'She’s also had a lot of supportive comments.’
A BBC spokeswoman said: ‘1984:A Sikh Story was an authored personal journey through the eyes of a young British Sikh and included a range of contributors offering differing points of view.’
