BBC apologises for ‘incomplete’ India map after complaint

The BBC on Tuesday apologised for any offence caused and rectified what it termed as the mistaken use of an inaccurate map of India, which had the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir entirely missing, triggering a formal letter of complaint by Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma.

In a video broadcast about President-elect Joe Biden on BBC World Service entitled ‘US Election 2020: What do countries around the world want from Joe Biden’, the graphic depicting the map of India was incompletely highlighted in red with the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir missing.

Sharma, who is also chair of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), termed the action as “deeply insulting” in a letter addressed to the Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Tim Davie, and called for an explanation of the editorial guidelines followed.