India blocks Pak-based OTT platform from streaming major events

ISLAMABAD: The Indian government has imposed a ban on Pakistan-based Vidly TV’s OTT platform, apps and social media accounts in India, which has been streaming historical events, the plight of minorities under growing Hindutva menace and gaining popularity among the Indian population.

The Indian government said it had blocked the Pakistan-based OTT platform named ‘Vidly TV’ for broadcasting a web series on the pretext of its contents being against India’s national security and integrity.

The Indian ministry of information and broadcasting also banned the website, two mobile apps and four social media accounts of Vidly TV by issuing an order using its emergency powers under IT Rules 2021, the leading Indian media outlets reported.

An Indian ministry official told the media that the government’s action against Pakistan-based Vidly TV followed the web series “Sevak: The Confessions.”

The OTT channel’s web series showed events like Babri Mosque demolition in Ayodhya, Operation Blue Star, Malegaon blast and Samjhauta Express blast among others. In June last year, India had banned 59 Chinese mobile applications, including the widely-used social media platforms such as TikTok, WeChat, and Helo on the same pretext of national security.