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From beef to pornography: India’s 2015 banned list

From beef to pornography: India’s 2015 banned list

Highlights

It has been a year of bans in India with the Government going all out in blocking everything; from beef to documentaries, as they left no stone unturned to uphold “the dignity of India”, restricting the Freedom of Expression. So, here is a not so definitive list of things banned this year...

It has been a year of bans in India with the Government going all out in blocking everything; from beef to documentaries, as they left no stone unturned to uphold “the dignity of India”, restricting the Freedom of Expression. So, here is a not so definitive list of things banned this year...

Govt’s beef with beef

The Maharashtra Government banned the sale and possession of beef in the state, under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (amendment) Act (MAPA), 1995. While there was already a ban on the slaughter of cows, the Maharashtra government has gone a step further by putting a blanket ban on the slaughter of bulls, bullocks and calves too! The bigger issue was that anyone found guilty would be liable for a 5-year imprisonment.

Censor Board gave us a catalogue of Gaalis

A controversial list of cuss words that was circulated by the Central Board of Film Certification or CBFC after Pahlaj Nihalani took over as its chairperson has been withdrawn after a majority of members voted against it. But much before that the CBFC had asked the makers of 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ to mute the word “lesbian” and ensuring that four other words -- Ghanta, haramipana, haram ke pille and haramkhor -- would also not be heard by the audiences.

Nagging against Maggi

Nestlé’s Maggi noodles has been banned in several states in the country after samples of the food failed Food Safety and Drug Administration’s lab tests. The government said its tests had found the popular snack unfit for consumption and imposed a temporary ban on the product.

Nestle India had to recall Maggi worth Rs 320 crore (Rs 3.2 billion) after it was termed 'unsafe' by the food regulator because of presence of lead and taste enhancer monosodium glutamate beyond permissible limits. Interestingly, amid this controversy, seven foreign countries, including UK and Canada, gave a clean chit to Nestle for Maggi manufactured in India saying levels of lead in the product are well within the EU permissible levels. But it’s back now and all seems well with the world again.

When AIB was roasted

The show, which was attended by four thousand people and uploaded on YouTube, went viral. But was banned by the authorities, as it was reportedly too much and too vulgar for Indian audience.

This was too hardcore

In order to combat child pornography, the Government came up with a grand plan to block access to 857 websites hosting pornographic content. It obviously didn’t last because India is primarily a free country.The government seems to have taken upon itself the herculean task of banning porn sites in India. Reports of internet users not being able to access porn sites since Saturday have made headlines.

Those looking to access these sites were taken to a blank page instead. This is not the first time the government crackdown on websites; Last year, they banned 32 sites, including popular sites like Vimeo, Github and DailyMotion, under Section 69A of the IT Act. The ban was lifted after a month, but some continue to be in the blocked list.

Zero shades of Grey

It was another film that the Censor Board refused to certify it despite watching a watered down version. Though the government did not officially ban the film, it cannot be screened for the public without a certificate from the Censors.

India’s Daughter, the country disowned

Documentary filmmaker Leslee Udwin courted controversy after excerpts of her documentary on the December 16 rape victim were broadcast on television. Mukesh Singh, one of the accused in the brutal gangrape and murder of Nirbhaya, was interviewed inside Tihar jail by the documentary crew. His lack of remorse over Nirbhaya’s eventual death and comments on women have caused outrage and led to its eventual ban by the government. BBC agreed to not air the documentary in India but released it internationally.

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