India's tiger conservation agency has asked the MEA to bar the BBC from filming in protected areas for five years, claiming a documentary produced by it "distorted" the government's anti-poaching strategy.
It has also sought revocation of the visas of the journalist who produced the documentary and other crew for an identical period. The British Broadcasting Corporation, whose South Asia Bureau made the documentary - 'Killing For Conservation', however, said it has not received any notification of a ban by Indian authorities and that such a reaction to a report which was "balanced and impartial" would be "disappointing".
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which functions under the Environment Ministry, in a memorandum said that producer Justin Rowlatt and others committed a "breach of trust" by submitting "false and misleading synopsis" to obtain filming permissions and producing a documentary which shows India's conservation efforts in "poor light".
"External Publicity Division of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is advised to revoke visa of the said journalist and his crew, besides taking appropriate action to prevent their further entry into India for a period of not less than five years.