The Centre has banned “4PM News” YouTube channel on Tuesday over what is called “national security”. After the channel was blocked by YouTube on the request of the Indian government, the outlet’s editor-in-chief, Sanjay Sharma, launched a scathing attack at PM Modi, accusing his administration of “crushing the people and journalists”.  

The YouTube channel now displays the message: “This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order.”

4PM News YouTube Channel Banned: What did Sanjay Sharma say?

“Our national channel 4 PM has been shut down by the government. An attempt has been made to suppress a strong voice of democracy by using the excuse of national security,” Sanjay Sharma, editor-in-chief, said in a statement. 

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Sharma further stated that he was not given a chance to address any concerns before the ban. “I love the country not just as much as this government claims, but far more. If the government had an issue with any video, they could have sent an email to inform us. I would have investigated myself, and if there was a mistake, I would have removed it,” he added. 

Sharma further expressed that “PM Modi is not India” and that he is not “scared of dictatorship”. He added that he would “continue asking questions to the government” through other channels. 

“But the truth is that Modi is not the country. Asking questions of the government is not a crime. Raising our voice in a democracy is our right. We are not ones to be scared of dictatorship. We will continue to raise our voice on 4 PM UP and all other 4 PM state channels,” Sharma, who is based in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, went on to say. 

He stated, “A channel may be shut down, but our voice cannot be. Be it YouTube or any other platform, we will keep the torch of democracy burning….”

“4 PM is a voice, and voices cannot be silenced,” Sharma ended his statement with these words. 

4PM News banned: What content was uploaded on the YouTube channel?

4PM has always been critical of the central government. After the recent attack in Pahalgam that has claimed the lives of 26 people, the channel uploaded videos with titles such as “Laal kaaleen par Amit Shah ka swaagat. Mritakon ko shraddhanjali dene gaye the ya tamasha banane?” When translated to English, it reads, “Amit Shah walked down a red carpet when he reached the Valley. Was he there to offer condolences to the victims or to put up a show?”

Another video, critical of the Centre, had the title “Sindhu samjhauta todne ki hawabazi ko lekar phas gaye Modi, Pakistan ko paani kam nahi, zyada mil raha hai” This, as per English translation, “PM Modi has been faffing about the Indus water treaty, but the truth is Pakistan is getting more water, not less”.

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This, however, is not the first time the government has taken action against Sharma’s YouTube channel. Earlier, when Anurag Thakur was I&B Minister, he urged YouTube to block the channel after it posted a video on China and the Ladakh region, but it was not taken down as it was found to be ‘credible’. 

Yashwant Sinha, former minister of finance and external affairs, has called the ban on 4PM channel “draconian and dictatorial”. “I strongly condemn the government’s order to close the 4 PM YouTube channel. The order is draconian and dictatorial. The government should withdraw this order forthwith,” he said.