India has extended its crackdown on digital content, blocking multiple Bangladeshi YouTube channels after previously suspending six Bangladeshi television stations.
Fact-checking group DismissLab reported that prominent Bangladeshi TV networks—including Jamuna TV, Ekattor TV, BanglaVision, Mohona TV, Somoy TV, and DBC News—are now inaccessible on YouTube in India, alongside the digital channel of Amar Desh newspaper.
Additionally, YouTube has taken further action, restricting channels belonging to several Bangladeshi expatriate journalists and activists, such as Dr. Kanak Sarwar, Elias Hossain, and Zulkarneyn Sayer. Social activist Pinaki Bhattacharya’s channel has also been blocked, with affected individuals sharing YouTube’s notification emails on social media.
Bangladesh’s government has reacted strongly to the sweeping suspensions. Foyez Ahmed Tayyab, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, announced plans to seek clarification from YouTube. He warned that if a satisfactory explanation is not provided, retaliatory action may follow.
DismissLab states that Indian users attempting to access these channels are met with a message citing national security and public order concerns under Section 69(A) of India’s Information Technology Act, 2000—a legal provision allowing authorities to block content deemed a threat to national stability.
This latest wave of digital censorship follows India’s blocking of 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including major outlets like Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, and Geo News, after an attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. The ban extended even to the official YouTube page of former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, with numerous Pakistani Instagram and Twitter accounts also suspended in the country.
As tensions rise over media restrictions, international observers are watching closely for further developments.
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