YouTube Restricts Access in India to Documentary on Modi Government’s Spies’ ‘Secret War’ in Australia
A documentary regarding the purported involvement of the Narendra Modi 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 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 administration 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 geo-blocked per an order from India’s I&B ministry.
By 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 film 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.
“This is the second time this year that the Indian government has given YouTube instructions to remove ABC public interest journalism about its country,” stated ABC director Stevens. This time, it’s a Four Corners broadcast; the last one was a Foreign Correspondent story. The attempts to stifle incisive journalism disgust us. We will still report on any topics that are 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.
On March 24, YouTube informed ABC via email that it had received an order from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting concerning the episode titled ‘Sikhs, Spies, and Murder: Investigating India’s Alleged Hit on Foreign Soil’.
The most recent documentary restricted in India, titled “Infiltrating Australia: India’s Secret War,” includes accounts from Sikh community members in Australia. They allege that Indian authorities have threatened their families in India because of the activism of their relatives in Australia.
