Government probes if BBC filmmaker misled authorities

Whether Leslie Udwin, the British filmmaker who made the BBC documentary on the December 16, 2012 gang-rape, had misled government authorities would only be clear after the probe into this concludes, an official said.

A home ministry official, who did not want to be named, told IANS Friday that an inquiry has already been ordered into the matter and the government would take action, if required, on the basis of the inquiry report only.

Asked if the film-maker had cheated with the authorities over permission to interview Tihar inmates booked for sexual crimes, and interviewing many but making documentary only on the most sensitive one, the official said, these things would be clear only after the probe is over.

"Investigation is on. The case is being probed from all angles...what permission did she ask for and how did she used the same, it is all being looked into and the picture would clear as the investigation report comes," he said.

The government has already accused the British filmmaker of "violating the contract on various fronts" and has served her a legal notice.

The documentary, which carries an interview with convicted rapist Mukesh Singh, has been banned from being aired in India.

However, BBC aired the documentary two days ago and it has gone viral on the internet.

The government has already issued a legal notice to Udwin for allegedly violating the norms of the contract. It also asked YouTube to block access to the documentary.