'We support free press', says US after India bans BBC documentary on Modi

Reacting to the Indian government's ban on the BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi and the Gujarat riots, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price has said that America supports press freedom.

'We support the importance of a free press around the world. We continue to highlight the importance of democratic principles, such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, as human rights that contribute to the strengthening of our democracies,' he said.

The Union government had last week directed social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to block links to the documentary "India: The Modi Question". The Ministry of External Affairs has trashed the documentary as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset.

The two-part documentary claims it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.

(with agency inputs)

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