Action of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has constituted a high-level Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) to examine the content of Diljit Dosanjh’s film ‘Sutlej’ in the context of the disappearance of a human rights activist from Punjab. The decision was taken a day after MIB directed to remove the film from OTT platform Zee5. According to sources, this action has been taken under the provisions of Section 69A of the IT Act and IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
officer’s comment
A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the IDC is reviewing the matter, set up under Rule 14 of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. This committee has the right to submit recommendations to the Central Government on matters related to content.
Importance of Section 69A
Section 69A empowers the government to direct blocking access to information through any computer resource. Part III of the IT Rules takes this framework forward and applies it to online curated content and news publishers, empowering the MIB to issue directions to OTT platforms and digital news publishers.
film controversy
The film is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was kidnapped in 1995 and has not been heard from since. Earlier this film was sent to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for certification in 2022 under the name ‘Punjab 95’. It is reported that the board headed by Prasoon Joshi had suggested 127 cuts in the film.
When the makers refused to implement these cuts, the film was released on Zee5 on Friday without any changes. However, by Sunday, Zee5 announced the removal of the film from its Indian platform.
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