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Last Days Of The Raj - Channel 4 Documentary


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I sent the following to Channel 4.

I would like to say that the above program, as aired on Channel 4 at 9.00pm on the 12th of March was totally irresponsible and biased, bordering on racist. The Sikhs of the Punjab were portrayed as communal trouble makers whilst the truth was that they were in fact a minority group that were caught up in the violent actions of larger communities that were hell bent on establishing their own independent country at any cost. Seeing as the program focused largely on the Punjab, the widely acknowledged Sikh homeland, it is inconceivable that the Sikh perspective on the issue of partition was not fully presented. When the nation was torn apart by other people the Sikhs found themselves in a terrible position and had to fight for their survival.

Presenting biased personal accounts as the truth without considering the position Sikhs quickly found themselves in is unacceptable. Overlooking the disproportionate contribution/sacrifice of Sikhs for the independence movement as well as failing to explaining the position of Sikhs prior to the British invasion/annex of Punjab was mischievous to say the least. Portraying the British as a concerned innocent party in all of this is also offensive. Prior to the British invasion of the Punjab Sikhs had achieved much in terms of communal harmony in the Punjab under the Maharaja Ranjit Singh. How after 100 odd years of government by the British this evaporated into thin air is a story in itself.

I feel disgusted after having seen the program and would like efforts to be made to balance the distorted picture that Channel 4 have painted regarding the Sikh position during partition. This should be done in a timely fashion to alleviate the hurt feelings that your program has caused.

Kind regards

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that program was shown from how the muslims had it - they protrayed Nehru n Congress'h's like they were good guys...at no point did they comment on the ghore'h being 'bad'

is was baised BIG time

also u know the bit where they were sortin out stuff 4 the partition 2 happen and they have the Singh there - there was NO Singh there (he wernt Amritdhari - yet in the program they got this Amritdhari there.....) he was supposed to be sum randum panjabi - in that program they tryed 2 make it look like Sikh's had a say in the situation...

whats the bet half the people that dont read into our history are gona speak on our Virsa based on this crappy program.... rolleyes.gif

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Notice how they portrayed Sikhs as being corrupted by religious fanatics and then they talked about how the hospital was full of Sikh victims.......programme was saddening and it didnt really mention the Sikhs much but was heart reduring to see how masses had to leave just because of their religion and some images were disturbing!

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I sent this to Channel 4, building upon what Dal Singh jee wrote in his complaint:

Subject: Racism & Ill-Feeling Against Sikhs in Documentary

On 12th March 2007 at 9pm, Channel 4 aired the programme "Partition". The programme was totally biased, misrepresentative of the Sikh perspective, which was very offensive, and many Sikhs feel invoked racism against Sikhs.

1. The Sikhs of Panjab were portrayed as communal troublemakers and shown as barbaric savages whereas the Muslims were simply defending themselves and the Hindus were peace-loving people caught up in the tension. This is firstly, totally false. Secondly, it invokes racial hatred against Sikhs as the other two communities (Hindus and Muslims) were portrayed as the victims.

2. The programme largely focused on Panjab, which historically has been the Sikh homeland and it is widely known the Sikh Kingdom which the last part of India to be annexed by the British was based in Panjab with it's capital Lahore and stretched from Kabul to Delhi. However, the programme only featured one Sikh speaker who was featured making comments "twice" only. Considering the history and politics, it was irresponsible of the documentary makers not including more Sikh speakers and the bias views shown incited hatred and ill feeling against Sikhs.

3. The documentary overlooked the disproportionate contribution and sacrifice of Sikhs for the independence movement as well as failing to explaining the position of Sikhs prior to the British invasion/annex of Panjab was mischievous to say the least. On the other hand it focused on the Muslim League and Congress Party contributions.

4. The documentary portrayed the British as a concerned innocent party throughout the programme, which was very patronizing, hypocritical and offensive. Prior to the British invasion of Panjab, the Sikhs had achieved communal harmony in the Panjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. However, 100 years of the British Raaj and the British policy of "Divide and Rule" led to communal in fighting as shown in the programme.

5. Master Tara Singh and Mr. Baldev Singh were only mentioned in minor detail. The documentary failed to even mention whom Baldev Singh was, his background and proposal. The proposal of a Sikh independent state was not mentioned and how the Congress made promises of the Sikhs of full autonomy and sovereignty in the independent India.

In conclusion the documentary makers did a praise-worthy job in compiling the programme together and efforts to make a balanced account of history, however the Sikh community are disappointed and hurt by the bias and misrepresentation shown in the programme, which undoubtedly invokes ill feeling and racial hatred against Sikhs in viewers who are unaware of the reality.

I would urge the documentary makers to make an apology to the Sikh Community for indirectly invoking racial hatred against Sikhs through the poor documentation of the programme, and in future documentary makers produce a more representative, unbiased and wholesome account of historical events.

I await a reply.

Kind regards

Benti - The more people that complain to Ofcom and Channel 4, the more seriously television producers will take in account the Sikh Opinion. It may seem "minor" or "small issue" to some, however, if this goes unnoticed it allows more misrepresentation and more bias in the future. Best to nip the issue in the bud.

Bhul Chuk Maaf.

To make a complaint:

Channel4.com - Make a Complaint Form

Complain to Ofcom

Details of the Programme:

Programme title: PARTITION: The Last Days of the Raj

Date(s) & time(s) of broadcast: 12/03/07, 9pm to 10.30pm

Channel / station: Channel 4

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Guest Dancing Warrior

Please people complain to Ofcom as well as channel4 we cant just sit on our hands whilst these programmers pick and choose what parts of history they wish to tell and what parts they wish to distort. Its an absolute slap in the face to us all and to our forefathers who gave the absolute for our freedoms today, from the freedom struggles of the battle fields of India to Europe, even in the last hour they would quote -

“We die today so that you may live tomorrow”

For them and their sacrifices

Please email Channel4.com and Complain to Ofcom

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Please people complain to Ofcom as well as channel4 we cant just sit on our hands whilst these programmers pick and choose what parts of history they wish to tell and what parts they wish to distort. Its an absolute slap in the face to us all and to our forefathers who gave the absolute for our freedoms today, from the freedom struggles of the battle fields of India to Europe, even in the last hour they would quote -

“We die today so that you may live tomorrow”

For them and their sacrifices

Please email Channel4.com and Complain to Ofcom

BRUAPZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

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Please people complain to Ofcom as well as channel4 we cant just sit on our hands whilst these programmers pick and choose what parts of history they wish to tell and what parts they wish to distort. Its an absolute slap in the face to us all and to our forefathers who gave the absolute for our freedoms today, from the freedom struggles of the battle fields of India to Europe, even in the last hour they would quote -

“We die today so that you may live tomorrow”

For them and their sacrifices

Please email Channel4.com and Complain to Ofcom

BRUAPZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

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Please people complain to Ofcom as well as channel4 we cant just sit on our hands whilst these programmers pick and choose what parts of history they wish to tell and what parts they wish to distort. Its an absolute slap in the face to us all and to our forefathers who gave the absolute for our freedoms today, from the freedom struggles of the battle fields of India to Europe, even in the last hour they would quote -

“We die today so that you may live tomorrow”

For them and their sacrifices

Please email Channel4.com and Complain to Ofcom

BRUAPZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

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Once again we are in a situation where the media shows a misrepresentation of Sikhism and Sikhs. Just an observation, but with “front men” and leaders, we (Sikhs) seem to end up in situations where the wrong people get more prominence than they ought to have, we have seen this happen in our history and we still see this happen today. This always involuntarily projects the inaccurate and untrue image that the Sikhs are reckless, hot headed, violent etc., which we all so hate. The lack of a vocal majority will continually lead to the wrong voices being heard and recorded in history.

On the other hand, making an official complaint to offcom and C4 is key in this case. A hypersensitive issue like the partition of India, which caused the death of millions, the documentary makers appear to indirectly plant blame for the start if the specific religious violence on one religious community (Sikhs).

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