'Pati Patni Aur Woh' violates human dignity: MV Foundation

Hyderabad-based M. Venkatarangaiya (MV) Foundation has taken a serious step against airing NDTV Imagine's reality show 'Pati Patni Aur Woh' in which infants are handed over to celebrity couples to show how they cope with child rearing.

In a letter to the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni, the Foundation has demanded that the show be taken off the air immediately, saying it violated the stipulations of Cable Television Network Rules, 1994, reports said.

The Foundation National Convenor R. Venkat Reddy said that there was considerable risk to the children involved and that the show was against all standards of human kindness and dignity. "Viewing the helplessness of the infants can move even devils to comfort the babies to get them back to their parents. It is bizarre that TV producers find entertainment value in such sadism," he said.

The foundation pointed out that a similar show in the UK was highly criticised for its treatment of children. The show in India was in violation of rule 6 (1) of the Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Network Rules 1994 which says that "No programme which denigrates children should be carried in the cable service."