Union Govt Blocks Pakistan-Based 'Vidly TV' Over 'Anti-India' Web Series

 The series titled 'Sevak' was found to be "detrimental to the national security, sovereignty and integrity of India," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

Information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur. Photo: PIB India/YouTube

The Wire, 12 December 2022, New Delhi: The Union government on Monday, December 12, issued directions to block a Pakistan-based OTT platform’s website, two mobile applications, four social media accounts and a smart TV app over a series it was airing, which it deemed as “detrimental to India’s national security and integrity.”

The action was taken against the platform Vidly TV under the IT Rules, 2021. Parts of these Rules which pertain to media outlets have been challenged in various courts by journalists and news outlets, including The Wire.

“The platform Vidly TV had released a web series titled Sevak: The Confessions on the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and was found to be detrimental to the national security, sovereignty and integrity of India,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

Three episodes of the web series have been released till date, the ministry said.

“It was suspected that the web series was sponsored by the Pakistani information operations apparatus,” the ministry also said.

It also claimed that the web series had taken an ‘anti-India’ stance on key historical events like Operation Blue Star and its aftermath, demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, killing of the Christian missionary Graham Staines, the Malegaon blasts, the Samjhauta Express blasts and inter-state river water dispute related to Sutlej Yamuna Link canal.

“The series contains several dialogues, such as passing of wounds by the Sikh people to their next generations in the context of Operation Blue Star; the Indian State being against the interests of the Muslim community; and all Indian political parties being hand-in-glove in the demolition of Babri Masjid, etc. In one instance, a visual portrays an Indian television news channel showing ‘Muslims, Sikhs and Christians are India’s internal threat, says Home Minister’,” the ministry said, according to The Hindu.

Operation Blue Star, the government said, was shown as a “massacre” of “innocent Sikhs.”

“All policemen in Punjab are depicted without turbans, sending a message that non-Sikh policemen labeled the Sikh population as Khalistani terrorists,” it also said.

The ministry said that the series also showed the Ashok Chakra of the Indian tricolour on fire.

“In one of the scenes, a Hindu priestess is shown to be declaring that the Hindu children have to grow up to ‘kill’ Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs, and cleanse the motherland from their ‘filthy’ existence. Another scene claims that Scheduled Castes are being forced to remain Hindus. Using religious symbols, anti-Sikh riots of 1984 were shown to be an assault by Hindus against Sikhs,” the ministry also said.