A BBC interview of a rapist convicted in the widely reported Delhi gang-rape of 2012 is causing embarrassment for Indian authorities, who the Indian media says are scrambling to 'control damage'.

Convicted rapist Mukesh Singh shocked the world when, during his interview with documentary maker Leslee Udwin, he showed no remorse for the brutal gang-rape that lead to the death of the 23-year-old student who came to be known to the world as Nirbhaya (fearless).

The Indian government made an attempt at 'damage control' and sought an explanation from Tihar Jail authorities as to whether rules were followed in granting the interviewer access to the convict. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police is registering an FIR to seek a restraining order against the documentary's airing, Indian media reported.

Excerpts from the interview — which is to be aired on BBC and NDTV on March 8 — were reported by the British media and caused international outrage, with Indian rights activists saying that the rapist's mindset spotlights the issue of gender inequality and sex crimes in India.

In the interview Mukesh Singh says, "A decent girl won't roam around at nine o'clock at night. A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy. When being raped, she shouldn't fight back. She should just be silent and allow the rape. Then they'd have dropped her off after 'doing her'. The death penalty will make things even more dangerous for girls. Now when they rape, they won't leave the girl like we did. They will kill her."

The police registered the case under Section 509 (outraging the modesty of women) and Section 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of trust) of the Indian Penal code.

Delhi Police chief BS Bassi said, "We urge the Indian media not to show it. Police moving chief metropolitan magistrate's court today to seek restrain from airing of the show."

Also read: Delhi gang rape convict blames victim: 'A decent girl won't roam around at night'

Filmmaker Leslee Udwin on her part said the film is her attempt to examine the attitude of men towards women and that there was nothing sensational in it.

Udwin also claimed she took permission from the then director general of Tijar Jail Vimla Mehra before interviewing Mukesh in the prison for BBC.

Officials of the Indian Home Ministry say that they will seek a report from Tihar jail authorities on whether norms were followed in granting the interviewer the access to the convict.

Jail authorities claim that the filmmaker should have shown them excerpts of the interview before making it public. The Home Ministry is looking into a complaint by jail authorities that the documentary violated the norms laid down.

Nirbhaya’s parents say rapist's statement is 'shameful'

The parents of the gang-rape victim reacted angrily to the remarks made by Mukesh Singh in the interview where he seeks to blame their daughter for the horrific incident, calling it shameful and demanded he be hanged.

"I am sorry...those were her last words. Then the monitor flat-lined," her mother says in Udwin's documentary "India's Daughter", which will also premiere on NDTV 24x7 on March 8, International Women's Day.

The woman's mother told NDTV, "Our daughter died in front of us. After that, if anyone abuses us, it doesn't affect us anymore. If anyone says anything after watching this documentary, it won't have any effect on me. I want to go everywhere and raise my voice. We want justice for our daughter and the culprits should be hanged. I also want justice for thousands of parents who may be like us."

Her father said, "Our judicial system is totally useless, our case is pending in court for more than two years, it's the third year now. It's been one year in the Supreme Court. Not even a single hearing has taken place and we have no idea when it will happen. If our high flying case is dealt with so lightly by the court, can you imagine what happens to the other cases?"

The woman, a 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist, was lured onto a bus by five men and a teenager in December, 2012. The woman was then repeatedly raped and tortured with a metal bar.

Her injuries were so severe that she died two weeks later in a Singapore Hospital.

She became a symbol of the dangers women face in a country where a rape is reported on average every 21 minutes and acid attacks and cases of molestation are common.