A documentary regarding the purported involvement of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in using Indian intelligence services to target the Indian diaspora in Australia has been restricted from being viewed in India by YouTube, per an order from the Indian Union ministry of information and broadcasting.
This program, which airs as a part of ABC TV’s popular series Four Corners, highlights the stories of multiple Australian members of the Indian diaspora who are purportedly targets of Indian spy agencies. India’s Secret War – Infiltrating Australia is the title of the documentary.
Sikh activists supporting the separatist Khalistani movement and opponents of the Modi government make up the majority of those who have been on the receiving end.
Justin Stevens, the news director for ABC News, was quoted as saying that the network “fully backs and stands by this reporting.” Following its June 17 YouTube upload, the documentary has been geoblocked per an order from India’s I&B ministry.
In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules and the Information Technology Act of India, YouTube delivered a notification to ABC News based on a “confidential” directive it had received from the I&B ministry.
The Australian broadcaster, ABC, was offered the chance to prevent the documentary from being played in India, but they turned it down. In the end, on July 27, at 11:59 Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), YouTube censored the video in India.
ABC director Stevens said, “It’s the second time this year the Indian government has issued an instruction to YouTube to remove ABC public interest journalism about its country. Last time it was a Foreign Correspondent report, this time it is a Four Corners program. We’re dismayed at efforts to silence strong journalism. It won’t deter us from continuing to report any and all issues in the public interest.”
A documentary episode concerning the Modi government’s purported involvement in the death of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was also removed by YouTube in March this year.
