Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the BBC should not have telecast the documentary based on the December 2012 Delhi gang-rape, India's Daughter, and the government will action against the broadcaster.
The government moved to block the film worldwide with Singh telling Parliament he was "stunned and deeply hurt" when he heard about the controversial interview of one of the accused.
"We had asked to not release the documentary, but BBC still released it, and we will investigate and the MHA will take action accordingly... The conditions have been breached so action will be taken accordingly. I won't comment any further on it," Singh was quoted as saying by NDTV.
He had directed the BBC and the ministries of information and broadcasting, external affairs, and information technology to ensure Udwin's film was not broadcast or put on social platforms anywhere in the world, officials said.
The BBC aired it in the UK from 3.30am on Thursday India time rejecting a request from India not to telecast it. It was originally scheduled for March 8, International Women's Day.
Replying to a letter from Rakesh Singh, joint secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry, BBC Television director Danny Cohen wrote on Wednesday that after 'lengthy and careful consideration', the BBC had decided to telecast the film.
The BBC released another statement saying the "film handles the issue responsibly" and it is "confident the programme fully complies with our editorial guidelines".
"Given the intense level of interest in the Storyville film India’s Daughter, we have brought transmission forward to 10pm tonight, 4 March, on BBC Four to enable viewers to see this incredibly powerful documentary at the earliest opportunity," it added.
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