The Indian government has assured critics that there are adequate safeguards against vulgar and provocative songs or those insulting any religion or community being played out on private FM radio stations and social media (SM) platforms like YouTube.

Pointing out that while private FM radio stations are mandated to follow the programming code that’s made for pubcaster All India Radio, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told Rajya Sabha (Upper House) last week that the IT Rules 2021 has enough teeth to dissuade intermediaries from hosting content that is either unlawful or promotes hatred in the society.

“The Private FM Radio Phase III Policy Guidelines mandates that the permission holder shall follow the same Programme and Advertisement Code as followed by All India Radio (AIR)… AIR Code does not permit attack on religion or communities,” Thakur said.

The Minister went on to add that the Central or the federal government, in exercise of powers conferred by the Information Technology Act, 2000, has made the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

“The said rules also require the intermediaries to make reasonable efforts to cause the users not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that inter alia threatens public order, or promotes enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion or caste with the intent to incite violence or are otherwise unlawful,” he explained.

Thakur was replying to a query from a fellow parliamentarian in the Upper House whether the MIB has constituted any committee to clamp down on the use of provocative and spiteful songs against different communities that have led to sectarian violence at many places in the country.

More specifically, the parliamentarian asked whether the government has taken any action to remove such provocative songs from social media like YouTube.