The Indian government has issued orders to immediately ban the Pakistani web series Sevak.
It was further instructed to ban OTT streaming platform Vidly TV for airing the web series that allegedly disseminated anti-India content.
As per the order, The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) noted that the web series aired on the OTT Platform “was found to be detrimental to national security, sovereignty and integrity alongside defence of India, security of the State, India’s friendly relations with foreign States, and public order in the country.”
The ministry cited various elements in the online series as justification for this rejection. They said, “The web series portrayed an anti-India narrative on sensitive historical events and subjects of national importance. For example, operation Blue Star and its aftermath, the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, the killing of a Christian missionary named Graham Staines, the Malegaon blasts, the Samjhauta Express blasts, inter-state river water dispute related to the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal, etc.”
The centre also said that Operation Blue Star was portrayed as a “massacre” of “innocent Sikhs,” The order went on to state that the conditions in Punjab during Operation Blue Star were portrayed deliberately with solid sectarian overtones, implying that the rioting and police action was motivated due to religious concerns. “All policemen in Punjab are depicted without turbans, sending a message that non-Sikh policemen labelled the Sikh population as Khalistani terrorists,” the ministry said.
The ministry also claimed that the series contained scenes that gave an inaccurate depiction of historical events. “Using religious symbols, the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 were shown to be an assault by Hindus against Sikhs,” the order added.
The web series stars Mohsin Abbas, Hajra Yamin, Nazarul Hassan, Nayyer Ejaz, and Adnan Jaffar, among others. The legendary writer Saji Gul and renowned director Anjum Shahzad brought the series to life.
