Demand for regulation of contents on OTT platforms raised in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Two BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha on Friday urged the government to regulate OTT platforms, claiming some of the contents on them promote violence, drug abuse and also portray Hindu deities in poor light.

Over-the-top media services (OTT) platforms have spread across the country and the contents on them do not come under the purview of the Censor board.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Manoj Kotak (BJP) said some web series in the name of freedom of expression promote violence, drug abuse.

Some of them also depict Hindu deities in an objectional manner, he said.

He demanded the government to have a censorship mechanism and a regulatory authority may be set up to check such kind of objectionable contents which have "adverse impact on the youth of the nation".

There are at least 40 OTT platforms, including global ones such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and HotStar (Disney Plus), and hundreds of news content websites.

Recently, two scenes were removed from a web series following first information report (FIR) against its makers for allegedly depicting Hindu deities in an objectional manner.

Speaking on the issue, Kirit P Solanki (BJP) said "India's ancient culture is being attacked in the name of entertainment" by some of the OTT platforms.

Many objectionable contents have adverse impact on the youth of the nation, he said.

"I would request the Information and Broadcasting Minister to ban such objectionable contents with immediate effect," Solanki said.

Malook Nagar (BSP) said farmers of all communities and not just Jaat are protesting against three new farm laws.

Nagar said the government should suspend these laws for three years so that facts come out.