India blocks 2 sites, 20 YouTube channels linked to ‘Pak disinformation campaign’

NEW DELHI: The government has ordered 2 Kashmir-related websites and 20 YouTube channels to be blocked under the new information technology rules notified this year, a ministry of information and broadcasting statement said, saying the channels and websites “belong to a coordinated disinformation network operating from Pakistan”.
The orders, the first to be issued by the ministry of information and broadcasting under the new information technology rules notified on February 25 this year, were issued in a closely coordinated effort with intelligence agencies, the ministry said.
“The channels were used to post divisive content in a coordinated manner on topics like Kashmir, Indian Army, minority communities in India, Ram Mandir, General Bipin Rawat, etc,” it added.
Among the 20 YouTube channels ordered to be blocked are those launched by The Naya Pakistan Group (NPG), operating from Pakistan, having a network of YouTube channels that have a combined subscriber base of over 35 lakh. Their videos have had over 55 crore views. “Some of the YouTube channels of the Naya Pakistan Group (NPG) were being operated by anchors of Pakistani news channels,” it said.
The 20 YouTube channels include The Punch Line, International Web News, Khalsa Tv, The Naked Truth, News 24, 48 news, Fictional, Historical Facts, Punjab Viral, Naya Pakistan Global and Cover Story, among others. The two websites, Kashmir Global and Kashmir Watch, have been ordered to be blocked in their entirety.
An unusually detailed statement issued by the government listed screenshots and instances of fake news that were being put out by these YouTube channels. According to this list, The Punch Line claimed in one report that 20 Indian Army generals had been killed at a training facility in Kashmir by “Kashmir mujaheddin”. Another report in the same channel claimed Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has decided to build a mosque in place of Ram mandir in Ayodhya. A third example listed a report in Naya Pakistan Global channel that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent his army to Ayodhya.
The two orders to block the YouTube channels and websites were issued by the information and broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra invoking his emergency powers under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules notified on February 25 this year. This is the first time that the information and broadcasting ministry has invoked its powers under the new IT rules.