[Red Moon]

Shilpa issue: India asks UK to take action

New Delhi/London, Jan 17 Amid an uproar over the alleged racist remarks against Bollywood actress, Shilpa Shetty during a TV show in UK, India today asked the British government to take action as per the country’s laws.

The British government also condemned the racist attack but left it to the independent broadcasting regulator Ofcom to look into the matter.

“We have taken up the matter with UK through the British High Commission and asked them to take action according to their own laws,” the external affairs ministry spokesman, Mr Navtej Sarna said while responding to questions over the issue.

The alleged racial comments on Shilpa, during a reality show ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ on Britain Channel 4, have led to reactions and protests from various political parties as well as people of Asian origin in Britain.

All major political parties here condemned the incident and demanded that the matter be taken up with Britain.

The Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Priyaranjan Dasmunsi “appealed” to the actress to “give factual position” to the Indian government representatives in London so that appropriate response to the issue can be firmed up.

However, he pointed out that the actress was in the show as part of a private programme and not as a representative of the government or industry.

Shilpa, along with nine other celebrities have been locked up in a house since Janaury 2 and are being filmed on how well they handle the frictions of daily life and get their fellow housemates’ votes of confidence.

The 31-year-old actress broke down in tears on Monday after allegedly being taunted by fellow contestants about her skin colour, accent and cooking.

Britain condemned the alleged racist attack, saying it wished to be seen as a “country of tolerance”.

Noting that there had been nearly 10,000 complaints from viewers about the remarks against Shilpa, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Gordon Brown said, “I want Britain to be seen round the world as a country of fairness and a country of tolerance.”

Mr Brown, who is on a three-day visit to India, said in Bangalore that he condemned “any behaviour that would detract from the view of Britain...That we want to be a nation of fairness and tolerance”.

In New Delhi, the spokesman of the British High Commission said in a statement that the UK deplores racism of any kind but left it to Ofcom to look into the matter.

The alleged bullying and racist abuse of Shilpa has sparked off a controversy in Britain, with the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair saying racism should be opposed in all its forms when the issue was raised in British Parliament.

Labour MP, Mr Keith Vaz, who tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons on the issue yesterday, asked Mr Blair today whether broadcasters should take care not to allow such material to go on air.

“I have not seen the particular programme in question and cannot comment on it,” Mr Blair said adding that “we should oppose racism in all its forms.”

One of the sponsors of Channel 4’s most popular show ‘Celebrity Big Brother’, in which Shilpa and nine other stars are participants, threatened to pull out as the issue figured in the House of Commons.

British mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse said it was reviewing its sponsorship of Big Brother and did not rule out abandoning the arrangement. The chief executive, Mr Charles Dunstone said the company was “talking to Channel 4. The sponsorship is constantly under review. Clearly, we are against racism.”

Meanwhile, some of Shilpa’s fellow housemates have received email threats. The Hertfordshire police said, “Two emails have been received by the TV studios that contain unspecified threats against a number of the housemates. Police are currently looking into the emails.”

NRI actress and women’s rights activist, Ms Meera Syal led an unprecedented wave of criticism against the attacks on 31-year-old Shilpa, who was reduced to tears after allegedly being taunted about her skin colour, accent and cooking.

UK’s official media watchdog Ofcom said tapes of the incidents would be scoured and complaints carefully investigated.

“There is a very thin line between what is entertainment and a vile spectacle and I think we are in that area now. What this treatment of Shilpa has done is remind a lot of Asian people in Britain of the type of uncomfortable treatment they’ve received themselves over the years,” Ms Syal said.

Ofcom, the media watchdog, said that it had received 6,600 complaints, the highest since the BBC screened Jerry Springer - The Opera. It said that it will investigate whether the programme has breached broadcasting rules forbidding discriminatory language or treatment.

Carphone Warehouse has been sponsoring the show since 2004. It pays an estimated three million pounds a year for ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Celebrity Big Brother’.

Mr Vaz yesterday tabled a Commons motion calling on channel 4 to take “urgent action to remind housemates that racist behaviour is unacceptable.”

He said, “I have been contacted by constituents who have expressed concern that apparently racist comments have passed without any response. We should not tolerate this on a programme that is watched by millions of people.”

Viewers believe that Shilpa Shetty is being victimised on the reality show. She has allegedly been called a “dog” and contestants have complained about her touching their food.

Pop singer Jo O’Meara allegedly said Indians were thin because they were always ill as a result of undercooking food. Shetty’s accent has been mocked and she was asked if she lived in a shack. Channel 4 received 2,000 e-mails and calls.

The TV channel said “matters of bullying or racial abuse in any form are taken extremely seriously by Channel Four and (programme maker) Endemol.”

“The nature of the show often includes incidents where conflicts arise and housemates are encouraged to resolve issues among themselves,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

“Shilpa herself has not voiced any concerns of racial slurs or bullying against her. Appropriate measures to reprimand individual behaviour would take place where necessary.”

Viewers believe that Shetty has been targeted by Jade Goody, a previous ‘Big Brother’ contestant noted for flaunting her ignorance, Danielle Lloyd, a deposed Miss Great Britain, and singer Jo O’Meara of S Club 7 fame.

Goody has allegedly said Shetty “makes my skin crawl”, while Lloyd, stripped of her title for dating one of the judges -- former England footballer Teddy Sheringham -- has called her “a dog” and “just the cook”.

O’Meara refused to eat a chicken roasted by Shetty because she claimed it was too spicy and undercooked, prompting the film star to burst into tears.

Lloyd asked: “They eat with their hands in India, don’t they or is that China? You don’t know where her hands have been.”

Shetty’s spokesman said the Bollywood star was tough enough to take potentially nearly two more weeks of ostracism and he was touched by the apparent public sympathy for her. Shilpa’s mother had heard about the situation from friends in Britain and was “upset.”

Actress Narinder Kaur, who is writing a book about her experiences on the show, said: “Millions of youngsters watch ‘Big Brother’ and Endemol should set an example -- they shouldn’t tolerating the way Shilpa is being treated.”

In London, the Foreign Office said it had not received any communication from the Indian government about the programme, nor had the British High Commission in New Delhi.

Source:Navhind Times, India