'Eleven Jinping': Indian TV fires anchor over blooper Published duration 19 September 2014

image copyright EPA image caption China's President Xi Jinping concluded his three-day India visit on Friday

India's state TV channel has fired a news anchor for referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping as "Eleven" Jinping.

The presenter apparently confused Mr Xi's name with the Roman numerals XI.

Her name has been removed from the panel of newsreaders, Doordarshan news chief Archana Datta told BBC Hindi, describing the error as "grave".

President Xi ended a three-day visit to India on Friday, where he signed 12 deals to boost trade and economic ties.

The blooper occurred during a show on Doordarshan news on Wednesday night.

Ms Datta said the newsreader had not been staff but a casual employee.

"Doordarshan keeps a list of freelance casual newsreaders. They are called for duty when there is a shortage of regular staff,"

But The Indian Express newspaper reported that the mistake happened during the night bulletin which is generally read by casual newsreaders since the regulars do not prefer to work at that time.

There are hundreds of English, Hindi and regional-language news channels in India, and Doordarshan has been struggling to retain its audiences in the overcrowded market.

It is often described as "drab" and "boring" by Indian viewers, many of whom prefer to watch more attractive private channels.

The error sparked a flurry of reaction on social media.

"Not many people are aware of the fact that 'Vi Guevara' was given the name 'Che Guevara' by a DD news anchor," tweeted Menongitis.