A British Sikh television station has been fined £30,000 for broadcasting a programme that incited members of their community to take violent action against members of the Indian Army.
Assailants tried to slit the throat of Lt Gen Kuldeep Singh Brar in the attack in London in October 2012 Photo: AP
Sangat TV, a Birmingham-based satellite TV channel, was handed the penalty by Ofcom after screening a programme that was found to have “seriously” breached the regulator’s code, which must be followed by independent broadcasters.
The show featured commentators who supported an assassination attempt which took place in London last October on Lt Gen Kuldeep Singh Brar, of the Indian Army.
Lt Gen Brar, who commanded a controversial 1984 military operation to clear Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, was attacked by four men who attempted to slit his throat.
Ofcom said Sangat TV, which is owned by a company called Regis 1, broadcast statements in a panel discussion programme which “were an indirect call to members of the Sikh community to take violent action against Lt Gen Brar [and] other members of the Indian armed forces”.
Some panellists said Lt Gen Brar deserved to be attacked and congratulated the perpetrators.
Regis 1 said their channel was run mostly by volunteers and owned by a charitable trust. Anything more than a token fine would be “crippling”, it claimed.
However, Ofcom ruled the breach was so serious the operators should be fined £30,000.