British Sikh quits BBC after producer tries to censor script related to Sikh Guru martyrdom

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Prominent British Sikh journalist has quit BBC after 35 years in protest after he was accused of talks that "might offend Muslims."

Inderjeet Singh popularly known as 'Lord Singh of Wimbledon' will no longer be heard on BBC Radio 4's Thought for The Day.

As per reports, Singh was accused of "prejudice and intolerance." The events took place after BBC tried to stop Lord Singh commemorating an executed Sikh guru because "it might offend Muslims."

Indarjit Singh, who is also a member of UK's House of Lords stepped down saying that he had to take the decision after "overzealous BBC producer's attempts to censor a script referring to Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom for fear of Islamophobia."

"They tried to censor my script on the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur last November but I did not let them do and they grudgingly agreed but things changed after that. I spent almost a year to get them to common sense and they would show tolerance but things did not improve. It is very hard to always fight," Singh told Times of India.

As per TOI, he added, "Last November, after my script on the martyrdom, had been agreed by the producer of the day, the senior producer arbitrarily and without consultation, declared she would not allow the script to be broadcast because he might offend Muslims, even though it contained no criticism of Islam. It was akin to telling Christians they should not talk about Easter for fear of offending Jews."

According to Singh BBC had chosen to bury historical fact instead of taking lessons from the past.

"The Producer in question reluctantly agreed for the talk to go ahead rather than have to explain why no one was in the studio that morning," he added.

The veteran journalist also said that he was not forgiven and the number of slots given to him was further curtailed.

As per Dailymail.co.uk, BBC spokesperson in response to these allegations said, "Thought For the Day is a live, topical segment and it is not unusual for editorial changes to be made so that it reflects the biggest news stories of the day. We disagree with Lord Singh and don't recognise his characterisation of Thought for the Day."

The British daily also reported that after leaving, Lord Singh complained about his treatment but a review by BBC director of radio James Purnell rejected his complaint.

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