Representative image of an OTT platform.
Credit: iStock Photo
New Delhi: An organisation headed by a former Information Commissioner close to the ruling dispensation demanded on Wednesday that "sexually perverted and incestuous content" on OTT platforms be treated as "anti-national activity."
The ‘Save Culture, Save Bharat Foundation’ founded by Uday Mahurkar, a former journalist and Information Commissioner considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the government to unveil a “law of ethics code” to deal with “sexually perverted content” on OTT platforms.
Mahurkar demanded that violation of the "code" should be treated as rape with a sentence between 10 and 20 years, no bail for three years and “summary trial” in four months. He claimed several OTT platforms were screening content which shows explicit incestuous sexual acts.
A former Senior Deputy Editor with India Today, who considers himself a follower of controversial right-wing figure V D Savarkar and authored a book on Modi's governance titled ‘Marching with a Billion’, Mahurkar, also demanded that access to such content should be regulated through “Aadhaar number or fingerprint or both”.
The Foundation also demands that there should be specific limits on “themes, scenes, language and clothing” in audio-visual content across all platforms,” Mahurkar told a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library here.
“Such content poses a greater threat to Bharat’s culture than past foreign invasions. We want to warn these culture-defying conspirators that their days of impunity and immunity are over. India will undoubtedly attain its objectives of becoming an economic, military and scientific powerhouse by 2047. However, the crucial question is whether India can evolve into a culturally upright nation,” he said.
A statement by the Foundation claimed that around 500 apps now showcase content depicting incestuous relationships, “especially in the country’s majority Hindu community”.
Mahurkar said the government "has been doing whatever it can, but more needs to be done".
"Despite all efforts, there is a proliferation of such content. The government has done its bit. The number of such advertisements has come down compared to a period before 2014," he said, referring to the Modi government's assumption of power in May 2014.
Spiritual leader Riteshwarji Maharaj claimed, "In the guise of entertainment, we are seeing that a lot of anti-India forces are spreading vulgar content on the internet. This is nothing but waging a cultural war against our values. Showcasing incestuous content goes unchecked, and the people behind such content are immune. We need stringent laws right now before they succeed in invading our civilisation."
Padma Shri winner Nivedita Bhide said there is a need to prevent "anti-social and anti-India elements" from exploiting "our tolerance and relaxed norms," particularly in regulating the OTT space in India.