Guidelines for complaint to OFCOM

Ofcom Complaint process:

1. Please have the BBC Complaint number ready with you before you begin.

This can be obtained from the email response from BBC registering the original email complaint letter written about the BBC article

2. Locally saved copy/image of the email complaint sent to BBC. Also sent to your email when you complained.

3. Click the link to access the complaint form. https://ofcomlive.my.salesforce-sites.com/formentry/SitesFormBBCOnlineMaterial

Fill in the form using the below guidelines.

Question
Where did you find the material? Please provide as accurate details as possible. If the material was on a BBC website, please provide a link.* 

Answer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-68003095

Question
On what date did you access the material?* 

Answer
The article first appeared on the BBC news site on Jan 22, 2024. It continues to be available at that site.

Question
Have you made this complaint to the BBC?* Ofcom can only consider your complaint if you’ve already complained to the BBC.

Answer
Select “Yes “ from the drop-down

Question
Please provide a brief summary of your complaint to the BBC (Please use 255 characters or fewer)* 

Answer
The complaint has been made because it has hurt the sentiments of Hindu readers of this article. The article was biased and used words like ‘believe’ to raise doubts about the credibility of the Ram Mandir facts. The article was inflammatory, misinformed and biased.

Question
What was your complaint to the BBC? (Please use 1500 characters or fewer)* 

Answer
The BBC in its article has;

  1. Inflammatory and provocative language in its Headlines.
  2. Truncated/Skewed use of historical facts without any rationale. For example, it says “Hindus believe” the Babri mosque was built by Muslim invaders on the ruins of a temple. When this is not what they believe, but what Archaeologists have proven.
  3. No mention of the scientifically proven Archeological Survey of India reports from different time periods regarding the Ram Mandir
  4. Selective reporting of community member’s opinions 
  5. Spread negativity against Hindus and thus evoke communal disharmony in the UK.
  6. Cast aspersions on India’s Supreme Court verdict on the matter

The BBC has violated the following OFCOM codes while publishing this article.

  1. Section 2 factual reporting should not be biased 2.2,  Discriminatory language 2.3, 
  2. Section 3.1 – potential to incite violence
  3. Section 5.1 & 5.2– Due impartiality and due accuracy 

Question
Reason for dissatisfaction with the outcome of the BBC’s final response* (please use 750 characters or less) 

Answer
BBC has sent a perfunctory reply without providing any explanation as to why only selective facts were used in reporting. It has not corrected or retracted or made any apologies for this biased reporting.  If the article continues to be available on BBC it may lend itself as a means for spreading communal disharmony and violence. 

As a licence fee-paying Hindu, I have not been served well by the BBC when the article was first published and in its subsequent response to the complaint.  The blatant biases in the article may well set out to harm me and my family mentally. It also raises the spectre of religiously influenced violence in my neighbourhood as Muslims reading it may think the existence of the temple has no scientific, historical or archaeological basis.

Question
BBC Reference Number 

Answer
Add your Reference number (the one received from the BBC)

Question
The date you submitted your complaint to the BBC 

Answer
The date that the email was sent 

Next Page
To provide an attachment of the email sent to BBC