New Delhi: YouTube news channel 4PM has been banned in India following a government order linked to concerns over “national security or public order.”
The channel’s owner and editor-in-chief, Sanjay Sharma, confirmed the development, revealing that he had received an email from YouTube on Tuesday morning notifying him that the channel had been closed in compliance with government directions, as reported by Newslaundry.
Sharma expressed concern over the ban, asserting that the channel had only been seeking to ask the government questions about ongoing issues. “I am concerned about national security and was only asking the government questions,” Newslaundry quoted Sharma as saying.
The specific reasons behind the government's order for the ban remain unclear.
In recent days, 4PM had uploaded numerous videos questioning the Narendra Modi government’s handling of the Pahalgam attack, including attention-grabbing headlines such as, “Pahalgam hamle ka khul gaya raaz. Raaton raat kya hua ki hat gayi sena?” (The truth behind the Pahalgam attack revealed. What happened overnight that the army was withdrawn?) and “Laal kaaleen par Amit Shah ka swaagat. Mritakon ko shraddhanjali dene gaye the ya tamasha banaane?” (Amit Shah was welcomed on red carpet. Was he there to pay respects to the deceased or create a spectacle?).
At the time of writing this report, a message on 4PM’s YouTube page read: “This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order.” Viewers were directed to the Google Transparency Report for further details about government removal requests.
4PM operates six other YouTube channels, including 4PM UP and 4PM Rajasthan. The ban comes just a day after the Indian government banned sixteen Pakistani YouTube channels in India.
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Mangaluru (Karnataka), May 4 (PTI): A case has been registered against BJP MLA Harish Poonja for allegedly making a provocative speech during the Brahmakalashotsava (consecration ceremony) at the Gopalakrishna Temple in Thekkaru village in Dakshina Kannada district.
According to the police, complainant Ibrahim S B has alleged that Punja made derogatory remarks against the Muslim community and allegedly attempted to incite communal hatred through his speech.
The speech in question was reportedly delivered in the presence of a gathering during the religious event.
The complaint stated that the content of the speech could sow discord between religious communities and disturb communal harmony in the region.
Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case under sections 196 and 352(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the new Indian criminal code that recently replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC).