The Broadcasting Standards Authority finds comments made on Sikh radio station Radio Virsa were degrading and offensive.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has found that an Auckland-based Sikh radio station breached broadcasting standards by airing comments about named individuals that were degrading and offensive.

These comments included allegations about a woman's sexual behaviour and the implication that she had 'loose morals'.

Radio Virsa is a small Sikh radio station based in Papatoetoe, Auckland, broadcasting mainly to the Papatoetoe Sikh community and promoting a strict interpretation of Sikh religion and culture.

A Mr Verpal Singh complained to the BSA with regard to four programmes broadcast in Punjabi on Radio Virsa in June, October and November 2016.

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Singh - a co-founder of Radio Virsa who parted ways with the station in November 2015 - complained about a variety of issues in relation to these broadcasts. He alleged that Radio Virsa and its hosts were broadcasting lies, threats, abuse and insults about him and about other individuals in the local Sikh/Indian community.

He also identified statements that he said contained offensive and indecent language, and denigrated women.

In assessing Singh's complaint against Radio Virsa, the BSA noted that "the most problematic aspects of the broadcasts are those that make derogatory comments about named individuals and women".

An example of this occurred when an on-air Radio Virsa host referred to a past event in which a large Sikh group gathered in front of the Sikh Temple where Radio Virsa is based.

The host referred to a community leader, 'V', and his daughter, 'W', and the following comments were made:

"Standing there close to the fence was [V], that ba....d, whose own daughter's name is linked to many, and he was showering abuse like there was no God watching."

"When a person, whose own daughter sleeps with anyone around, accuses others' daughters and sisters of having a loose character, what happens then?"

While the BSA failed to uphold Singh's complaint in its entirety, it found that three of the four Radio Virsa broadcasts in question "contained divisive and derogatory language, treated named individuals in the Sikh community (including the complainant) unfairly and in one instance, breached an individual's privacy".

The BSA also found that "comments made about individuals were degrading and offensive, and devalued the reputation of some individuals in breach of the good taste and decency, and fairness standards".

In response to these findings, Radio Virsa has offered an apology to those impacted and the BSA has ordered that a broadcast statement reflecting the Authority's decision be made.

The BSA will also work with Radio Virsa to educate its employees and hosts "on the application of broadcasting standards in New Zealand".