India’s Daughter: Victim’s friend backs ban, slams Leslee’s documentary

Amid the controversy over the banning of BBC documentary India’s Daughter, the friend of the Delhi gangrape victim, Avanindra Pandey, who was with the victim in the bus on 16 December 2012, has called it ‘fake’.

Speaking to CNN-IBN Pandey said, “The documentary is unbalanced as the victim’s viewpoint is missing. The facts are hidden and the content is fake. Only Jyoti and I know what happened on that night and the documentary is far from the truth.”

Leslie Udwin, the director of the documentary, in her defence had said that her film accurately depicted what happened that night. But Pandey backed the government’s ban.

CNN-IBN reports, “Backing his claim, Pandey said he had never heard the name of tutor Satendra, who features in the documentary. “Moreover, how does he know which movie I wanted to watch on that night,” asks Pandey.

The Delhi gangrape victim’s parents, her tutor and close friend Satendra were interviewed for the documentary.

Satendra had claimed that on that night Pandey had wanted to watch an action film, but Jyoti wanted to watch Life of Pi.

Pandey was scathingly critical of the documentary saying, “The documentary has dented country’s image and questioned law and order situation. The documentary showed that any individual can enter the Central Jail of our country and can interview a criminal.”

It was the interview of Mukesh Singh that raised eyebrows and drew the ire of the government and led to the ban. Mukesh had said in his interview that most women were responsible for rape.

And while everyone from the doctors to the policemen involved in the case were interviewed, Pandey, the sole witness of the gruesome incident, was inconspicuously absent.

He told CNN-IBN, “I was approached by many people and it started one and a half years ago, in 2013. I did not want to be part of it as I was not convinced by its motive. Also, I was not mentally prepared and had health issues as well.”