Chennai: Ever since the entry of OTT platforms, there has been a complaint that uncensored content streamed by them are leading to adverse things in the society.
With the Covid-19 induced lockdown increasing the demand for OTT platforms, the allegation became more vocal. Recently, a web-series was withdrawn after protests.
And now, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making a case for imposing censorship on content available on streaming platforms, insisting that criminal activities are on the rise due to obscene and violent depictions in shows.
He said incidents of crime are increasing against women and children because of the “negative impact’ on the minds of people due to their exposure to such programmes. There is no clarity in the rules regarding streaming services,” he said.
The availability of inappropriate content without any censorship is unacceptable, Kumar said, urging the Prime Minister to take necessary steps to bring programmes broadcast through streaming platforms within the ambit of certification under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
Besides, the production and broadcast of such programmes having obscene and violent content should be brought under the purview of crime so that people concerned can be punished, Kumar said.
He said that several streaming service players are “uninterruptedly broadcasting shows having violence and sex” in the absence of censorship.
In December last year, Kumar had written to Modi, demanding a ban on pornographic sites.
Says Santha, a women’s rights activist, “many of these shows portray women as an object of sex and lust. More than censorship, self-censorship is the need of the hour”.
A top official with a leading entertainment company says, “sex and crimes get us more views. So we are focusing more on such content. At the same time, we are cautious too. We know our responsibilities”.