The Centre on Monday, 26 September, directed video streaming platform YouTube to block 45 videos from 10 YouTube channels after they were found containing hate speeches against religious communities and trying to spread communal disharmony.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told the media that the government will continue to act against those who try to upload such content in the future too.
The ministry said that morphed videos and images were being used to harm India's national security, foreign relations, and public order.
'These Channels Spread Fear and Misconception'
"These channels had content that spread fear and misconception among communities," Thakur said.
The blocked videos included one by popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. The videos that have been taken down include 13 from a YouTube channel called The Live TV, nine from Hind Voice, six each from Inqilab Live and Desh India Live, four from Mr Reaction Wala, two each from GetsetflyFACT and 4PM, and one each from the channels of Vinay Pratap Singh Bhopar, National Adda, and Dhruv Rathee, according to The Indian Express.
Some of the videos blocked by the Centre were being used to spread disinformation on issues related to the Agnipath scheme, the armed forces, the national security apparatus, and Kashmir, said a statement by the ministry.
"Such videos were found to have the potential to cause communal disharmony and disrupt public order in the country," the ministry added.
Why Was Dhruv Rathee's Video Taken Down?
The Centre blocked Dhruv Rathee's video titled “Why Imran Khan lost? Political crisis in Pakistan,” as it showed parts of the Indian territory in Pakistan, the ministry has claimed.
The order to block the videos was issued on 23 September under the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, PTI reported, quoting the statement by the ministry.
The ministry said that certain videos depicted erroneous external boundaries of India with parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh depicted outside the Indian territory.
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express.)
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