LONDON: Britain’s advertising watchdog has rapped an Indian channel for telecast of an advertisement that breached the standards code by promoting the occult, psychic practices and exorcism.
Doordarshan-India channel was launched in the UK in March 2007 in association with Rayat TV, which describes itself as being “part of the diverse Rayat Group that has interests in India and the UK in education, travel, retail and media”.
The advert on DD-India channel in Hindi said that Pandit Bharatraj Shastri was an expert in “palmistry, birth kundali (horoscopes), vastu expert, marriage issues, troubles in business, dissatisfaction at work, warding off affects of black magic, family problems”.
The on-screen text mentioned a phone number over background graphics of a palm, Lord Ganesh, the moon, the earth and horoscope and face-reading symbols.