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Websites, Apps, Social Media Accounts Linked To Banned Organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) Blocked!
NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has banned the digital media resources of foreign-based ‘Punjab Politics TV,’ which it claims is linked to the proscribed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) outfit and is attempting to disrupt public order during the ongoing Legislative Assembly Elections, relying on intelligence inputs and invoking the emergency powers granted under the new Information Technology Rules issued last year.
The I&B Ministry announced on Tuesday that it had “ordered the blocking of apps, websites, and social media accounts of foreign-based ‘Punjab Politics TV,’ which has close ties to Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an organisation that has been declared unlawful under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.”
The ministry said, “Relying on intelligence inputs that the channel was attempting to use online media to disturb public order during the ongoing State Assembly Elections, the Ministry used emergency powers under the IT Rules on 18th February to block the digital media resources of ‘Punjab Politics TV’.”
“The restricted applications, websites, and social media accounts had the potential to instigate communal discord and separatism and were judged to be damaging to India’s sovereignty and integrity, state security, and public order.” The creation of new apps and social media accounts was also noted to be timed to acquire popularity during the ongoing elections,” the ministry claimed.
The government is “vigilant and dedicated to secure India’s overall information environment and thwart any measures that threaten India’s sovereignty and integrity,” according to the statement.
In January 2019, the government issued orders under the UAPA to prohibit the pro-Khalistani SFJ, which were contested in court. In 2020, however, a UAPA tribunal upheld the restriction.
After Kumar Vishwas, a former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, claimed that AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had ties to Khalistani forces, the SFJ was in the news ahead of voting in Punjab over the weekend. Following this, both the Congress and the BJP claimed that Kejriwal and the AAP were backed by the SFJ, with Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi releasing what appeared to be a letter from the SFJ’s legal advisor. The purported ties, according to Home Minister Amit Shah, will be probed.
After obtaining intelligence inputs, the I&B Ministry began implementing the emergency powers granted under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, in December 2021, when it shut 20 YouTube channels and two websites. On January 21, the ministry issued a second series of orders suspending 35 more YouTube channels, this time based on intelligence inputs, which it said had over 100 crore views and were all based in Pakistan and involved in disseminating “anti-India fake news.”
In January, it also issued orders to restrict two websites, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts, and one Facebook account.
Following the January orders, I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra stated that the ministry had responded quickly after obtaining intelligence agency inputs. He did say, however, that not all YouTube channels or social media accounts warned by the agencies were blocked, and that the content of those channels and accounts had been reviewed by the ministry. Furthermore, ministry officials stated that the directives would be presented to the inter-departmental committee, which is responsible for approving such instructions unless emergency powers are employed.
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